Tender Ties
by Silver moonbeams
Summary: Harry is in danger of being bonded to Lucius & losing all of his inheritance.Even worse,his life is in danger.Unfortunately for him,the only way out is to become the ward/future spouse of Severus Snape.A tale of compromise & sacrifice that leads to love.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is written for the Pick-a-Plot contest by Paris in December over at HPFC.**

**The story is based on prompt # 2:**

**It is revealed to the wizarding public that Severus and Harry are in a relationship. The papers are wild with speculation, but the two men actually got together thus:**

**-Dire circumstances forced them into a secret marriage, which they fought at first, but then came to accept and even enjoy**.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Except for the main plot, all other plot variations belong to me.

Warnings: This story is slash. Mild language.

* * *

Chapter 1

"Sev, have you seen today's headlines yet?" Harry enquired, walking into the kitchen with the Daily Prophet clutched in his hands.

Severus was already at the table with a mug of coffee held in his hand, intently perusing an article in the Potions Monthly that he diligently subscribed to.

"No, not yet. You know I don't have any patience for the drivel that they print, so why the question today?" Severus replied back absently, still immersed in the article, occasionally jotting down some points in a small journal which he kept for keeping abreast of new discoveries and inventions and the like.

Harry set the paper down on the table and went to make some breakfast. Severus, in this state was of no use till he'd finished his reading. Getting out a carton of eggs and some cream from the refrigerator, Harry went about the kitchen picking up other sundry items for his cheese and mushroom omelet and Severus's scrambled eggs.

With a relaxed air about him, Harry went about preparing the ingredients for his omelet while getting the pans on to heat for making the eggs. Within minutes, the fragrant smell of breakfast was permeating the room and he put the English muffins on to toast so as to have a full breakfast.

Setting down the full plates ten minutes later, Harry was pleased to see that Severus was folding up the magazine and setting it aside.

Severus looked up at Harry in thanks and gave him an appreciative smile. Picking up the cutlery he dug in to his eggs with relish and they spent a quiet few minutes enjoying their meal in silence.

"So, what is it that you wanted to show me?" Severus inquired while reaching across to pull the Daily Prophet to him. Harry pushed it closer and Severus gratefully picked it up spreading out the front page only to be met with the bold headlines:

"**The Boy Who Lived in a secret relationship with Ex-Death Eater and Former Headmaster of Hogwarts Severus Snape?" **

_It has been brought to our attention that light's very own golden boy is in a secret relationship with ex-Death eater Severus Snape who was previously the boy's guardian during his final year at Hogwarts. Severus Snape is well known for his knowledge of the Dark Arts and has also spent time in Azkaban in his early years during the first rise of the Dark Lord Voldemort.(Read more about the first rise and fall of the dark lord on pg3)_

_Is our savior batting for the other team? That is the question on every woman's tongue who has ever hoped to have a chance at being Mrs. Harry Potter._

_And if the answer's yes, then it begs the question why Severus Snape? Is this a whirlwind romance or is there a darker reason lurking behind…_

_(Read pg 5 to see what friends and acquaintances have to say about this relationship)_

_(Read pg 6 to learn more about Severus Snape's dark past)_

It went on in the same vein for a few more pages filled with hearsay and misquoted facts before tapering off with some articles about their roles in the war. The only saving grace appeared to be the fact that he had been given his due as a war hero and a spy for the light, however grudgingly they might have done it.

"Well, this was to be expected Harry. The fact that they didn't find out about us sooner is a miracle, really." Severus stated calmly, folding the paper neatly before setting it down to one side.

Catching Harry's eye, he asked him seriously, "Are you upset that they somehow discovered our true relationship?"

"No! Of course not. It's just; they've been so unfair to you in the articles. Why can't they just look past what was done during the war?" Harry asked with a troubled frown before continuing.

"If it weren't for you, we would all probably be dead and it would have all been due to their own outdated wizarding laws and traditions." Harry continued to grumble with a disgusted look at the paper that had been the cause of many a problem during the early years of his schooling.

"Hmm, yes. Although we ought to be thankful for the existence of those laws, or else we wouldn't be where we are today, now would we, Harry?"

"Yes, you're right Sev; that is something to be thankful for after all." Harry said with a smile.

Reminiscing about that time long ago, he continued with a fond smile on his face, "If it hadn't been for that outdated law, I wouldn't be sitting opposite you today and I probably wouldn't be the happiest man alive."

With a slight, depreciating nod at himself, he added; "I'd most likely be stuck in a no end job with a wife, never knowing the life that I could have had with you. Its probable that I would have been very happy living that life, but knowing what I do now; after all that we've been through; if I could go back, I would still choose to bond with you."

"I have never been happier in my life and I know that it's all thanks to you." Harry stated with conviction.

"Given the same choice, I too would choose you. You were the one who made me live again. You accepted me with all my sharp edges and still managed to remain unscathed", Severus revealed.

"I love you, I hope you know that." Severus finished with the air of a man who'd known that he'd been given a second chance and who appreciated it fully.

That said, Severus got up and put his plates in the sink. Coming back, he tipped Harry's head back to give him a thorough good morning kiss.

Gently cradling his head, Severus coaxed Harry to open his mouth, letting his tongue map his mouth thoroughly, tasting the different flavors of their breakfast, now mingled on their tongues. Harry moaned at being kissed so thoroughly, his toes curling into the rug beneath his feet, his hands coming up to twine around Severus's neck, pulling him closer to him.

It was the lack of air that made them separate; Harry with a glazed look in his eye while Severus had a satisfied look on his face. Giving him a final quick kiss on his lips, Severus informed him that he would be in his potions lab for the rest of the morning and quickly left the kitchen before he was tempted to fuck Harry there and then, leaving a dazed Harry behind.

* * *

It was late evening before Harry saw Severus again. He was freshly showered and he had a towel over his wet locks. It had become a sort of a tradition for them. Severus would always wash his hair but would allow Harry to towel it dry for him. It was a way to spend some quiet time together, without any outside pressures.

It had begun at a time when they ad just been married and their relation was very rocky and unstable. But he was thankful for Harry's stubbornness and his seemingly thick skin.

Calling out to him, Severus pulled out a chair and sat down; waiting for Harry to come.

"Oh, so you're done with potions for today then, huh. I was so sure that you'd be stuck there for some more time." Harry said, surprised to see Severus showered and ready.

"Well…I decided to call it an early day for once. Why? Do you want me to disappear for a few more hours?" Severus asked dryly.

"No; of course not. You know I didn't mean it like that." Harry said with an exasperated look on his face.

Taking the towel from Severus, Harry went about toweling his hair dry. Once done, he slowly massaged his shoulders, loosening the tense knots that had formed there from hours of bending over cauldrons and precise prep work required to get the ingredients ready for use.

"Mmmm….you have amazing hands, Harry." Severus said with an appreciative groan.

Snaking his arms up, Severus quickly caught hold of those magic hands and pulled him to stand in front of him. Giving a quick, forceful tug, he pulled Harry onto his lap and kissed him. This kiss was in complete contrast to the one they'd shared in the morning. While that one had been sweet and gentle, this kiss was more forceful. Severus allowed Harry no time to think. He pushed his tongue forcefully inside and mapped every dip and crease, coming back to duel with Harry's tongue every now and then. It was hard and fast; Severus almost dominating the younger man.

Harry loved this side of Severus. It was rare for Severus to be so forceful with him, but Harry enjoyed it immensely. It was another sign of Severus's deeper feelings for him and he was content to submit to his wishes, because it so rarely happened.

At first, he'd been very wary of Severus and not a little frightened of him. He was many years his senior, well versed in dark arts and not the least, hated his guts and compared him too often to his father.

The circumstances of their union had been very unorthodox. But at that time, Voldemort's second rise coupled with Lucius Malfoy having a lot of sway over Fudge, who was the then Minister for Magic, had only managed to create a recipe for disaster.

It was only thanks to a few very loyal contacts at the ministry and Dumbledore's quick thinking; that they'd even found out about their plans for Harry and managed to circumvent it in time to avoid a huge disaster. Not that what happened in its stead had been anything less than a disaster in and of itself; it just hadn't been a colossal disaster.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Harry? It seems I'm losing my touch if your brain is still active, whatever little there is left of course." Severus raised an eyebrow and jostled him slightly to get him to answer him.

"Nothing important really. Just wondering what the world would think if they knew what really brought us together all those years ago."

"Well, it's a good thing then that they're never going to find out, now isn't it?"

"Hmmm…" Harry agreed with a mumble, busy nibbling Severus' jaw, kissing him intermittently. Giving a final small kiss on his lips, he looked at Severus and got up the courage to ask what had been on his mind.

"Do you remember that night, when you and Dumbledore asked me to stay behind and meet the two of you after the farewell feast, a couple of weeks after that fiasco in sixth year when I inadvertently ended up spying on Lucius Malfoy and his cohorts who had somehow made their way into the castle, without triggering any alarms?" Harry asked with a tentative, almost unsure look on his face.

"I remember it as clearly as if it all happened yesterday…"

* * *

The school year was at its end and all the students were busy chattering with friends, the stress of exams finally over. Some startling and very disturbing piece of news had managed to reach the ears of Albus Dumbledore. It had unsettled him badly, but a talk with the potions master Severus Snape had given him an inspiration and he was positive, (well almost positive) that he would be able to convince everyone to follow his advice.

"Severus, my boy; on your way out, could you please let Harry know that I would like him to come up to my office. You, as well; once you've seen to your duties of course."

"Of course, headmaster." Severus replied with a stiff nod, hating the fact that he'd been reduced to being a messenger boy between the headmaster and the golden boy.

"Oh! And one more thing Severus. Please tell him that the meeting is not optional. I will expect him no less than half hour past the end of the feast." Dumbledore cautioned with a piercing gaze over the top of his half-moon spectacles, conveying his seriousness.

Severus simply gave a brisk nod and made his way over to the Gryffindor table where Potter was holding court with his best friends and a few other fellow sixth year Gryffindors. Just seeing him made his blood boil. Deciding this was as close as he was going to come to the little gang, Severus bellowed at Potter with an angry sneer on his face.

"Potter! Finish the feast and come to the headmaster's office. Password is 'blood pops'. And that's an order! The headmaster expects you to meet him in no less than half an hour."

"I suggest you not disappoint him, if you value your life." Severus added with a sneer.

With a quick flap of his robes, Severus turned and exited the great hall. A night like this, he would have to be on his toes to keep all his wayward Slytherins in hand. He was so not looking forward to this.

* * *

Harry had just finished dinner and was making his way up the stairs to the headmaster's office. He was feeling nervous for some reason. He hoped he was not in any trouble. Of course it wouldn't be the first time if he were. And this year, he'd had a really lousy few months towards the end of the school year; what with that fiasco of running across death eaters in the castle. On having rushed to report them to the headmaster, unfortunately he had interrupted him during his meeting with the minister and had found himself scrutinized shrewdly by the minister before Dumbledore was able to cut him off mid way through his rant and ordered him to wait outside.

Just thinking about that day and the ramifications of what could happen if word got out to the public about it made Harry feel unsettled. He didn't care what the public thought any more but he certainly did not need any more disciplinary hearings in front of the wizengamot.

Once in a lifetime was more than enough for him, thought Harry, a grim look crossing his face.

Stating the password, Harry waited for the gargoyle to leap aside before making his way up the spiral staircase, coming to stand in front of the door to the headmaster's office proper. Giving a tentative knock, he entered when he heard his name called out with permission to enter.

On opening the door and slipping inside, Harry was surprised to see Snape there, standing off to one side, facing the door and Dumbledore at an angle, face grim as usual.

"You asked to see me, Professor?" Harry asked, deciding to be blunt about the matter.

"Yes, my boy. Please, take a seat. This might take a while." Dumbledore rejoined with a serious look marring his normally jovial face, the twinkle markedly absent for once.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Harry asked, all the while conscious of Snape's intimidating presence to the side.

Dumbledore gazed at him, his eyes conveying the seriousness of the situation; his hands steepled in front of his lips.

"Well, some new information has come to light. And it will have very severe consequences if it is allowed to come to fruition. It concerns you and that is why, you are here. Despite my best efforts, I have been unable to stop this ball in its tracks and it is gaining momentum as we speak."

Clearing his throat, he continued his spiel.

"I believe you remember well that night when you barged into these offices to report to me that you'd seen Lucius Malfoy and two others enter the room of requirement…"

At a nod from Harry, he got a troubled look on his face and he 'hmmed' slightly.

"I take it you also remember that Cornelius Fudge was here when you came rushing in, accusing Lucius Malfoy and those two other men of being death eaters and you also accused them of stealing a tiara, more specifically a diadem; supposedly the one belonging to Ravenclaw…"

At receiving another nod from Harry, Dumbledore sighed and glanced at Snape, an unreadable look shared between the two of them.

Taking a deep breath, he locked eyes with Harry and said, "There are strong whispers of Lucius Malfoy seeking legal counsel to gain guardianship over you before you return for your final year here. This is in retaliation to your 'unfound' accusations and as a personal disciplinary action against you. I believe he hopes to either convert you or hand you over directly to the dark lord. Or at the very least have full control over you and your actions."

"But it was the truth, professor! You've seen my memories of that night in the pensieve. Harry exclaimed angrily.

"I may know it as the truth but the memories are inadmissible in the court as you've already had a disciplinary hearing and that means it's your word against Lucius Malfoy's." Dumbledore finished gravely.

"Cornelius is supporting him and word is they are trying to declare you unfit to take proper care of yourself and to fulfill your role as the heir to two prominent families and transfer full guardianship to Lucius, with the aid of a specific bond; as he is related to the House of Black by marriage and has a good public standing."

"They are spinning it as if Lucius is doing this to honor Sirius's death and take care of his heir in his absence…"

"They don't know a thing about what Siri wanted and the last person to care about me would be Lucius Malfoy!" Harry interrupted loudly; angered beyond belief at what was happening.

"Keep your voice down, Potter! Don't forget whom you're talking to." Severus snarled from his place at the side.

"Severus..."Dumbledore chided him. Seeing that he was not to be deterred from taking out his ire on the boy, the headmaster suddenly addressed Severus for his opinions.

"Would you care to share your thoughts about what we've discussed so far, in a constructive manner, Severus?"

Severus Snape looked slightly abashed. He took his time formulating an answer, glancing between Harry and the headmaster, before settling his gaze on the headmaster.

"I would not discount the rumors…but I also strongly believe that Lucius is not the sort to actively wish harm to a child. That being said, Lucius could be under the dark lord's hold without anyone being the wiser and if that is the case, any reluctance on our part to examine his motives could lead us into a risky situation", Severus drawled.

"Alarmingly, I must say that I have noticed a slight change in Lucius and not for the better, I assure you", warned Severus.

"I would advise you to take precautionary measures, if you deem it necessary. If Lucius is seeking legal counsel, then he means business and there's very little that gets in the way of what a Malfoy wants". Severus finished with a disdainful glance at Harry's hunched form.

"It seems Potter is unable to stay out of trouble even if it were to save his life." He finished with a sneer.

"Now, Severus; this is not the time for such sentiments." Dumbledore admonished him lightly; his gaze resting pensively on Harry's hunched form. His eyes did not miss the anger and loathing on Harry's face. But knowing that public opinion of Harry was fickle and could change in an instant; now more than ever, he needed to stay out of the limelight as much as possible and retain the public's good will for him.

"I will think about the situation that we find ourselves in some more. In the mean time, I want you to keep your head down and not get into any altercations with the younger Malfoy. You need to keep a cool head now that you know what is in the works at the ministry. Do not give them any more ammunition to use against you, Harry!" Dumbledore cautioned him sternly.

"Severus, let me know if Lucius contacts you for any reason."

"I will meet you both here tomorrow night to discuss the preventive measures that I can come up with to stop this nonsense before it gets out of our control."

With that said, Dumbledore dismissed them both. The sound of a chair being scraped across the floor and clattering to the floor was heard as Harry left the office in a fit of pique; angering Severus at his appalling behavior before righting the chair with a flick of his wand and departing the office with a final, reserved nod at Albus.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore had never been a man who could be unsettled easily. He'd seen his fair share of wars and dealt with enough unsavory characters to know when to be wary and when to turn a blind eye to them and to the machinations going on at the ministry.

This time, however all his senses were screaming at him not to ignore the newest threat. There was disaster brewing, of that he was very sure.

The minute his contact at the ministry had informed him of the highly unusual nature of the conversation that he'd overheard between Malfoy Senior and the minister, his hackles were raised and the fact that it had to do with Harry did not make him feel any better.

Looking at the clock, he was surprised to see that it was nearing midnight and that he was no closer to figuring out Lucius's agenda behind this latest scheme of his.

Fawkes flashed on to his perch and trilled out a soothing note, the sound ringing in his ears long after his warbling had ceased.

A contemplative look on his face, Dumbledore studied Fawkes and thought out loud, "I wonder if I should contact Nicholas. Perhaps he can shed some light on this matter for me. After all, he has been alive for over 5 centuries now."

"He's bound to know something that I know I'm missing." He mumbled to himself as he stood up from his chair, his bones twinging, making him feel his age for once.

He slowly made his way over to the fireplace in his personal quarters and picked up the jar of floo powder from the mantel. The jar had seen better days but it served its purpose for now. Pinching a bit of the fine pale blue powder, Dumbledore threw it onto the flames and watched it turn green before sticking his head into the flames and calling out "Flamel's Roost."

His private floo was one of the few existing floos that were still connected to the Flamel's floo. The floo call would cause a ping to sound in the house, alerting them to the call and one of the Flamels would attend to it as soon as possible.

A few minute later, his wait was rewarded when Nicholas himself entered to take the call. If he was surprised to see Albus there, it certainly did not show on his face.

"Albus! How are you, old friend? It's been a few months since I last heard from you…" Nicholas greeted him with a smile, very surprised to see him call so late at night.

"Hello Nicholas…yes, it has been awhile, hasn't it? I have some important matters that I need your guidance on…would you mind terribly if I came over to your place right now?" Albus asked unsurely, an answering smile flitting across his face at seeing his friend again.

"Of course, you know you are always welcome here. Step back a moment while I change the floo wards to grant you entry." As soon as Albus pulled back, Nicholas quickly changed his wards to allow only Albus entry into their home rather than a more general entry which could be used by anybody, even an impostor. One could never be too careful these days, he thought with a rueful smile.

A few seconds later, he was graced with Albus's presence in his house. The Flamels lived in a modest countryside mansion, with enough land for farming and horse rearing. Their location was unplottable and they had very little reason to venture out as they were fully self sufficient.

By now, Perenelle had joined her husband, wanting to see what had kept her husband from returning to bed.

"Albus, it's so good to see you!" Perenelle greeted him warmly, coming over to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Albus was almost like a son to them and it always warmed her heart to know that he came to them whenever he was troubled or in need of a shoulder to lean on.

"It's good to see you as well, Peri. It's been too long since we met under less stressful times." Albus rejoined with a pleased smile, glad for the chance to catch up with them.

"It seems as if every time I come to visit you all, it has to be prompted by some problem or the other…" Albus bemoaned with a rueful smile.

"And I'm sad to say, but this time isn't any better either". He finished with a wry smile.

"Come, gentlemen! Let's go to the sitting room. I'll ask the elves to bring up some tea and biscuits for us. Whatever the reason for your visit, it does not mean that we can't relax in comfortable settings while we help you sort out your problems." Peri said as she ordered the two men out with a fond smile and called for the head elf to send up some tea for the three of them to the sitting room before following them into the room.

The room was modest in size and was tastefully furnished with cozy arm chairs and a comfortable couch placed near the ornate fireplace. There were pictures from their younger years displayed on the mantel above.

Albus took the armchair while Peri and Nicholas took the couch.

Once settled comfortably, Nick pierced him with a straight look and asked, "So Albus; what brings you here so late at night?"

"Well, it concerns Harry Potter. I've heard some disturbing news and at this point I really have no idea what to make of all that I've heard so far or even if I should take any steps to counter what I've heard."

"Hmm…how is that boy?" Peri asked as she started pouring the tea and setting out some biscuits to go along with it on the oval centre table situated in front of them.

"Last I remember, there were some accusations that he was spreading rumors about upstanding citizens and before that, he was trying to fuel the belief that the dark lord was indeed back from the dead…which of course we know to be the truth but getting the public to accept it is going to be another matter altogether…" Nicholas said with a quizzical look on his face.

"Harry is fine, for now." Dumbledore added seriously, taking the cup of tea handed out to him, made with just the right amount of milk and sugar and served with a side of shortbread.

Slowly sipping his tea, Dumbledore explained the details about the rumors that he'd heard from his contact at the ministry and all the repercussions that would follow if something like this were allowed to take place and the fate of the boy and the wizarding world at large would be forever altered.

Nicholas was deep in thought when he suddenly got up and strode to the bookshelf at the far end of the room, sliding the books left and right in search of something. A few minutes of frantic searching later, he was rewarded with the book that he'd been interested in. Pulling it out, Albus could see that it was a thin green book, frayed slightly with age and use, though still quite relatively new. Bringing it over to the two still seated, Nick skimmed through an overview of some of the outdated and illegal bonds that had caused him to remember this particular book when he'd heard Albus disclose all the details of what he'd overheard previously.

"I believe Lucius plans to use this particular type of guardianship bond on Harry. If the minister was to grant permission and if for some reason they are able to get his guardians to sign over custody of the boy willingly, then Harry would be in real danger." Nicholas said as he flipped through the pages to get to the correct page with the information on this particular bond, outdated as it was.

"Here it is! Hmm… it says here that this bond is very rarely used in today's times as it was found to be very detrimental to the state of mind of the ward in question. It also fell out of favor because of the misuse of the power bestowed on the guardian."

Nicholas settled down on the couch and finding the matter of interest, read it out loud.

_The bond allows the de facto guardian complete control over the ward's monetary assets in the event that the parents are deceased and full rights are bestowed on the guardian with respect to every aspect of his ward's life from the subjects that he is to learn, the tutors that he is allowed to interact with to even the school that he is required to attend. _

_In such cases, it is generally much easier to sway loyalties of a light child to turn towards the dark as he is in essence isolated from everything that is known and familiar and forced to do as his guardian wishes with disobedience being severely punished. Outside contact is heavily monitored and actively discouraged thus leaving the ward with no choice but to comply with the guardian's wishes as the alternative is being isolated and ostracized from wizarding society._

_Originally, the bond was to keep in hand unruly boys by having a strict disciplinarian watching over them, instilling proper behavior and respect for their betters when the parents themselves were unable to instill the pureblood etiquette into them and to curb their more outlandish behaviors. The age of majority under this bond was 21 rather than the more accepted age of 18, giving the ward more time to learn the required customs and duties, befitting an heir._

_In more recent times, as recent as 1800s the bond started being misused by the more unscrupulous lords. The prominent Light families were spared but the much smaller, lesser known families were targeted and killed; their children being taken in under the guardianship of some of the unscrupulous dark families before anyone could intervene, so as to gain monetary assets as well as receive a pawn against the true family in return. _

_A lot of skirmishes took place between the dark and light families, the dark families then facing scrutiny from the wizengamot and the result being that in the early 1900s, the bond was classified as illegal and the penalty for performing and entering into said bond was life at Azkaban coupled with monetary reparations to the ward and the associated family._

_Although the bond had originally been used with good intentions; the dark times between 1800 -1900 with rampant misuse of the bond for personal gain and the destruction of many of the lesser wizarding families tainted the bond in the eyes of the general public and has since been relegated to the classification 'Illegal XXX Dark'._

Nicholas finished reading, sliding the book down onto his lap, pinning Albus with a troubled look, a frown creasing his forehead.

"I think we all have a fairly good idea of what exactly Lucius has planned for our Harry."

Sitting beside him, Peri looked stunned and shocked, for the first time realizing how much danger Harry was in; concern and worry etched on her normally joyous face.

"Oh! That poor boy…"she whispered.

Albus himself was shaken, the very thought of what would happen if they were to gain guardianship over Harry under that bond was enough to make him queasy; let alone what would happen to Harry who wouldn't know the first thing of what was happening and why? Albus thought despairingly.

"Dear god, what am I supposed to do now…"Albus whispered into the tense silence.

"Fear not, Albus. I'm sure we can find something that could prevent this disaster from happening in the first place." Peri said comfortingly.

"Nicholas, surely you know something that we could use to prevent this…Harry is nearly of age; is there any other bond whose presence would take precedence over this bond or which could thwart the use of this bond in the first place?" Peri asked her husband, all the while thinking about the different bonds in existence and their relevance to their situation.

"Hmm…yes, now that I think about it, there just might be a few that we could use…" with that Nicholas fell quiet once again, staring pensively at the fire flickering in the fire place.

Flipping back to the index page, Nicholas searched for the listings of older and more powerful bonds categorically grouped together by power and importance rather than by type. Skimming through the list, two bonds caught his interest; one a blood adoption bond and the other a guardianship-marriage bond.

Reading through the both of them, Nicholas quickly summarized the details and said,

"It seems to me that you only have two options, Albus."

"One; you find a family of equal or higher standing than the Malfoys and get Harry blood bonded into said family so that they can oppose the bond long enough for Harry to turn 18 the following year by which time Harry would no longer be eligible under the terms of that particular bond, thus making the bond obsolete." He paused here and met Albus's gaze seriously and continued in a quiet voice.

"Or two; you enter Harry into a guardianship-marriage bond with a person, preferably an older male with a well known reputation, one who is acknowledged for his achievements and is a disciplined and principled man. One who will be able to oppose Lucius's claim strongly and yet convince the ministry that he can take Harry in hand and ensure that his wayward behaviors are curbed, all the while ensuring that no harm would befall Harry in any way."

"Are you both seriously considering bonding Harry to someone without even knowing for sure whether Lucius will be successful in his venture to gain guardianship?" Peri interrupted agitatedly, unable to keep quiet on her thoughts.

"Surely it's not as serious as you are making it out to be…" she protested feebly, shifting her gaze between the two men, pleading for them to agree with her.

Albus met her gaze head on and asked, "Have you ever known the Malfoys to go into anything half-cocked, without the assurance of success?"

"No…but surely, we are exaggerating the matter. Isn't it possible that we are making a mistake?"

"We could be, yes…I don't disagree there. But the question remains; are we willing to risk Harry's life just because we are unsure or do we take counter measures in the hopes that all that we have heard is true?" Albus asked them both, only to receive troubled silence from them both.

Nodding at Nicholas to continue where he left off, Albus settled back in his chair, taking a sip of the now tepid tea and popping a small biscuit into his mouth, listening carefully to what the bonds entailed.

"Both bonds have serious drawbacks, Albus", Nicholas warned, after he'd finished reading out the details of the bonds.

"These bonds are not to be taken lightly. The blood adoption bond would require Harry to give up his Potter inheritance and accept his new status whole heartedly…any hesitance on Harry's part or even the slightest disgruntlement on being forced into a situation not of his choosing and the magic that would be called on will not take hold and the blood adoption will fail".

He took a deep breath and continued, "The other bond is a bit more flexible in terms of the magic called up on…"

"The senior partner would hold guardianship over Harry until the age of 18, in a role very similar to the bond that Lucius wishes to use; the difference being that the guardian under the rules of this bond would be the sole care giver, disciplinarian and enforcer of rules."

"He is not allowed to cause harm to his ward and is to do his best to protect him from any and all those who seek to cause him injury. After reaching majority at 18, the bond would then transform itself into a marriage bond and require consummation. The premise of this bond was that the senior partner would be bestowed with the rights of a dominant and the ward in question, in this case Harry would be considered as the submissive with each of them having certain responsibilities towards each other." Nicholas elaborated on the quirks of the bond.

"By far, this seems to be the better option Albus, in that we are assured of the bond manifesting itself unlike the blood adoption where too many things could go wrong." Nicholas finished as he wearily ran a hand over his face; appalled at what they were contemplating with regards to that young man and his future.

"Yes, although I might wish to allow Harry the opportunity to fall in love and get married, it would be of little use if he himself were unable to survive this war." Albus sighed discontentedly, his hands clasped together with the elbows braced on his knees. For once, he was feeling his 150 plus years.

Leaning forward to convey his seriousness, Albus met Nick's tired gaze and stated quietly, "And if that means that I have to force him to sacrifice his freedom to marry someone of his choice, then so be it."

"At least he will be alive to have a future…" Albus murmured, face hard and set into lines of determination; the twinkle markedly absent at the thought of what was about to befall young Harry.

* * *

Albus had been up till the wee hours of the morning discussing things with the Flamels, trying to decide on a suitable candidate, with hardly anyone matching the requirements. It had been a disheartened Albus who had returned to the school at dawn, having stayed over to catch a few hours of shut-eye before he had to go back to Hogwarts.

Morning came too soon in his opinion and he was ill prepared to deal with the situation at hand and time was running out for them.

Putting on a brave face to keep the others from finding out something was amiss, Albus headed down to the great hall to have breakfast with the staff and his students.

On entering, he was greeted with the quiet murmur of students, everyone engrossed in their matters, talking with friends and making plans for the summer, enjoying one of their last few breakfasts left at the castle before it was time to head home…

He was not at all surprised to see Severus at the head table, nursing a mug of coffee as was his ritual every day.

Taking his seat at the centre of the staff table, next to Severus, Albus took the time to first serve himself some breakfast in the form of fresh, scrambled eggs, grilled tomato and toast and filled his mug with strong black tea, diluting it with a tiny amount of milk and one sugar cube. He spent the time observing his colleague and, dare he say it, dear friend partake in his own meager breakfast of muffins, one of his sole indulgences. He was partial to black coffee and never considered himself awake till he'd at least consumed two cups of that bitter brew.

"If I may be so bold as to enquire, what is it that troubles you so, headmaster?" Severus turned towards Albus and asked him quietly; genuine concern hidden in his eyes.

"I notice that you are not your usual 'perky' self and though I may be glad for the reprieve, it nevertheless troubles me to see you so…somber, for lack of a better word", Severus said dryly, eyes once more settled on the students eating in the Great Hall.

"Yesterday's talks are still troubling me…I have managed to find even more startling information about the plans centering around Harry; none of them any good. I fear for Harry's life…" Albus murmured; eyes focused on his plate, giving the impression to anybody who was looking that those at the staff table were engrossed in eating breakfast.

After all, one could never be too careful. Anyone might be an informer for the dark lord.

"Should I come up to your office after breakfast is done?" Severus asked quietly, indulging in his third cup of coffee for the day.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble…" Albus replied, a glimmer of an idea taking root in his mind.

Severus inclined his head in assent and taking his leave, picked up his coffee and left the table, heading for the side exit, intent on spending the remainder of the time till breakfast was over and done with, in the peace and quiet of his quarters. He couldn't wait for the start of the summer vacation. He desperately needed some time away from all these chattering students to center and refocus himself. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes, not with the war looming over them.

* * *

Severus made his way up the staircase to the headmaster's office, unsure whether he really wanted to find out further about that insolent Potter boy and the situation that he found himself in.

Schooling his face into a blank mask, he knocked on the door and waited; opening it and entering once he'd received permission.

"Ah! Come, have a seat, Severus. I fear that what we have to discuss is going to take up quite a bit of our time." Albus said, seated behind his desk, a few books scattered on the table and a box of lemon drops placed off to one side, within easy reach.

Severus glided over and took the seat opposite him and declined the offer of lemon drop when Albus gestured to it; acquiescing to a cup of tea instead.

"The matter involving Harry seems to be more serious than we first thought…" Albus began and quietly informed Severus of all that he'd learned over at the Flamels.

"…and that brings us to the point where we must decide to take these whispers about Lucius and his plans seriously and take measures to counter them or we turn a blind eye and let matters unfold as they would." Albus finished with a somber face, putting the ball in Severus's court, inviting him to share his thoughts on the matter.

"If Lucius is indeed gunning fro guardianship, then it is a given that he will succeed. 'A Malfoy always gets what he wants'; I believe that is his motto in life." Severus drawled, a somewhat fond look on his face, remembering much earlier times.

"Hmm…this puts us in a very precarious situation, I'm afraid." Albus contemplated the man opposite him.

Severus was keenly aware of the headmaster's gaze fixed on his person and he quelled the urge to fidget like a recalcitrant young boy sent up to the headmaster's office for punishment. He had a feeling whatever was going through that man's head would not bode well for him. It never did.

Sipping his tea for the first time, he was caught off-guard when he felt the effects of a strong calming potion take effect.

Now; unable to muster enough anger even at himself for being so lax and getting dosed by his own potion, he said, "I assume there is some reason why you've seen fit to dose me with a calming potion, Albus."

Severus tried to growl out the words but unfortunately only managed a calm, almost amiable tone.

"Yes, I have a very good reason for it, have you ever known me to do anything drastic without having ample reason for it?" Albus chided him gently.

"Hmm…just get on with it before I decide to change my mind." Severus said, wanting to get this over and done with as fast as possible.

Albus decided to come straight to the point.

"We have two choices to counter Lucius's plans…of which only one is actually viable and even possible at this stage."

"It is a guardianship cum marriage bond, one of the oldest bonds in existence, older than the one Lucius plans to use." Albus paused, unsure how to proceed from here.

Gathering his thoughts once again, he began again.

"Harry would have to be bonded to an older male, ideally one with sufficient recognition or backing to stand up against Lucius and his claims on Harry. The bond bestows a slightly more dominant role to the senior partner as the bond recognizes him as the sole provider, care giver and disciplinarian of the ward. To that end, Harry would have a slightly more submissive role…we cannot know for sure to what extent, as it would depend on the other individual involved as well. However, I do not use the terms 'dominant' and 'submissive' in the strictest sense of the words. There is room for interpretation on those roles according to what I have learned so far and it differs from couple to couple." Albus informed him, eyes keenly taking in Severus' every expression.

"As Harry still has a year of school left and is not considered a full adult until he graduates, this option is still open to us because the bond is first and foremost a guardianship bond which will then be converted to a marriage bond when the ward comes of age." Albus said, watching Severus closely.

He was rewarded for his wait when Severus asked, "And why are you telling me all this? Shouldn't you be informing the prospective groom and Potter about their new roles?"

"Tell me, who is the lucky man who will be saddled with Potter for the foreseeable future? Severus asked with a raised eyebrow, genuinely curious to find out who that person was who would have to tolerate Potter for the rest of his life.

His question was met with silence and a steady gaze.

"No! Surely you are jesting! Please tell me you are not planning what I think you are planning!" Severus exclaimed; rattling his tea cup as he slammed it down on the desk in front of him, agitated by the mere thought of what Albus was implying, even with the effects of the potion.

Pushing away from the desk with a loud scrape of his chair, Albus rose to his feet and slammed his hands down on the desk and pinned Severus with angry eyes.

"Do you really think this is what I would have chosen for Harry? The fact that I am forced to contemplate bonding Harry to anyone older than him without his consent and without his choice is like a blow to my heart. That I, to whom he is like a grandson; have to decide a path for him that he will be forced to walk for the rest of his life disheartens and shames me; for I am neither allowing him to choose his partner nor allowing him the choice to choose his own path. I can rail all I want at what I have to do, but it does not change anything as the alternative is something far worse. I cannot knowingly send Harry to the slaughter at Lucius's hands" Albus whispered, despair lacing his words.

"I would much rather he were forced to bond to someone of my choosing. At least he would still be alive." Albus stated; his gaze hardening with conviction; knowing that what was to come ahead would be a difficult time.

"But surely; there must be some one else that you could choose. Anyone else! You know that we have spent the last 6 yrs hating each other and things are not going to change any time soon!"

"That is precisely the reason you are the best suited for this bond. Your enmity is legendary and if anyone raises any objections to your authority over Harry, this would be enough to quell them as they would have 6 yrs worth of proof that you can maintain authority over Harry and curb his wayward behavior."

"I have traveled a lonely, dark path and you want to force Harry down that path with me..." Severus asked in a whisper; eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"You know that I have dabbled in the dark arts and am quite proficient at it, not to mention that I am a Death eater as well." Severus reminded him with a dark look

"And who better than a person well versed in the dark arts. Harry has always been the focus of malicious intent. The fact that his guardian is well versed in the dark arts and not above using them will be a good deterrent for most who wish to bring him harm." Albus refuted his reasons.

When it seemed as if Severus would interrupt, Albus silenced him with a look and said, "Just hear me out Severus, that's all I ask. In the end, the decision still rests with you."

Satisfied that Severus would give him a fair chance, he rested a hand on the back of his armchair and continued.

"The fact of the matter is, despite everything else; the life of the prospective guardian would also be in danger due to the unique circumstances. But you are very much capable of handling anything that comes your way. If I am forcing Harry to do something then for sure, I want to give him the best possible chance at surviving this as I can; and that means that the guardian of choice also has the best possible chance at survival."

Locking eyes with Severus, he tried to convey the seriousness of the situation at hand. "Harry is crucial to this war. You know the reason why…"

At Severus's grudgingly given nod, Albus continued.

"You are the only one I know that I would entrust Harry's safety to."

Albus pre-empted Severus and said, "Yes, I know that there is no love lost between you two…but I also know that you are a man of honor and will do everything in your power to keep the both of you safe. In time you will see that he is not his father. You might even learn to care for him."

"The most important thing is that Harry survives to fight against Voldemort."

At a wince from Severus, he rectified his next statement.

"If we were to lose Harry, then the dark lord will be unstoppable." He stated with a finality that brooked no arguments.

Finally feeling the effects of the calming potion wearing off, Severus allowed himself to process what his real feelings were. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he could already feel the beginnings of a headache just thinking about what he would be forced to endure if he were to acquiesce to the headmaster's plans.

"If you could lend me this book of bonds, I would like to familiarize myself thoroughly with all that the bond entails before I give you my decision." Severus forced out reluctantly, knowing that there really was no other option.

He reply was met with a relieved smile.

"Of course, you are free to go through the book. Wait just a moment."

And with that said, Albus opened one of his lower desk drawers where he'd kept the borrowed book and took it out; sliding it across the desk towards Severus who picked it up slowly and flipped it open to read the first page.

Apparently satisfied with what he found there, he snapped it shut and said, "I will give you my final answer when we meet up in the evening again, as decided last night."

With a final searching look at Albus, he took his leave.

"Good day to you, headmaster." And with a swish of his robes, he quickly made his way down the stairs; a faint 'Good day, my boy' reaching his ears as he crossed the gargoyle and made his way to his quarters in the dungeons.

He had a lot to think about and not enough time in which to do it.

* * *

It was a quiet few hours later that Severus finally put the book down and relaxed back into his armchair, his face thoughtful as he assimilated all that he'd read.

He had brought the book to his rooms and had spent the past few hours poring over all the information that it contained, trying to understand the intricacies of the bond.

His rooms were well furnished, with many of his personal belongings from Prince Manor being scattered around the room. Unlike what one would expect from quarters located in the dungeons, his rooms here were sufficiently well lit with the furnishings adding to the roomy feel. His living room boasted a couch and two armchairs. Closer to the fireplace, there was a cushioned rocking chair, which had seen quite a lot of use, if the worn upholstery was any clue.

Severus leaned his head back and clasped his hands in front of his lips, elbows placed on the arm rests.

The book had been very informative, describing in detail the role of the dominant partner and the submissive partner.

It was not something that one could take lightly. The most worrisome of all was Potter's reactions. In essence, Potter would be getting into this blind, without any knowledge whatsoever of what the bond entailed.

One thing that he'd gleaned from the book was that the bond was permanent. There would never be anybody else for him, or for Potter. Severus thought with an indecipherable look on his face.

He took a leisurely sip of his firewhiskey before he resumed his mental analysis of the bond.

According to the book, he would be Potter's guardian till he graduated school; after which they had a month in which to establish the marriage bond. There would be a small ceremony establishing their changed roles and allowing them to officially change their existing bond to that of the marriage bond, as per the rules of this particular bond.

The bond itself would be sentient to some extent, allowing no outside interference once established. That meant that the minute the guardianship was established, there could be no turning back; for either of them.

During his role as Potter's guardian, he would still be required to provide all that he would to a spouse, the only difference being that they could not consummate the bond till he was legally recognized as an adult. Everything else was permissible and even expected to some extent. He would cross that bridge when he came to it and not a moment before, he decided with a resolved expression that belied the turmoil in his mind; his fingers clenching around the glass at the thought of all that he would be forced to do, if he were to agree to the bond.

His life had been spent catering to the whims of two powerful masters and it seemed there was still work to be done before he would be allowed any peace, though at this rate it seemed that peace would be forever out of his reach in this lifetime, he thought with a disgruntled sigh.

That meant, he would be spending the summer with Potter in tow and would have to make appropriate arrangements, accordingly.

Only one thought was foremost in his mind.

Could he look past his childhood tormentor, James Potter long enough to see his son; or would he be forced to spend forever with a copy of his nemesis in the form of his son?

* * *

It was late evening by the time Severus re-emerged from the dungeons having skipped lunch for a light meal, eaten in his quarters.

He was dreading the evening, but you couldn't tell that by looking at his face. Outwardly, he was cool, calm and uninterested in the happenings of the castle.

He was quite uncertain as to how to handle this situation, which was admittedly a first for him. All his years spent as a spy had in no way prepared him for what he was about to do.

But if he was clear about one thing, it was that in no way was he going to allow Potter to gain the upper hand in this.

Come what may, Potter would just have to learn to deal with Severus and all his quirks.

Heading to the Great Hall for dinner, he found only a few of the staff members in their respective places up at the head table, idly chatting with their neighbors, waiting for the rest of them to appear and for dinner to officially begin.

As he walked past the students' tables towards the head table, his eyes were busy scanning their faces, looking to pinpoint the boy who lived; only to find him conspicuously absent.

No doubt the boy was still sulking over what he'd been told yesterday. He repressed a shudder at the thought of what would happen when Albus's decision would be placed in front of him. That boy had far too much uncontrolled magic, ready to come to his aid at a minute's notice.

His inner musings were cut short when he reached his designated place next to the headmaster and with a curt nod in his direction, settled down to wait.

For once, Albus said nothing and reciprocated his greeting in the same manner, seemingly finding the setting too public to bring up their earlier discussion and his subsequent decision.

In short order; the head table filled up and the Hall with hungry students, resulting in the start of the farewell feast.

Tomorrow, the students would leave for summer vacation after the morning meal; boarding the Hogwarts Express which would take them back to London.

Severus saw Potter and his friends make their way to the tables a little while after the feast officially began; filling up their plates in haste while still continuing to talk about something troubling; as evidenced by the scowls and the big hand gestures exchanged between the trio.

Dinner was a quick and quiet affair; ending too soon as far as Severus was concerned.

He was not looking forward to the coming confrontation.

When Albus stood up, finished with dinner; Severus followed suit and with nary a word spoken between them, they made their way up to his office, located in one of the huge towers of the castle.

On their way up, they were joined by Mr. Potter who managed to keep pace with them; the silence hanging heavy between them. Within no time they found themselves in front of the gargoyle and with a whispered 'mint humbugs' were granted access to the office.

Entering his office chambers, Albus made his way over to the chair behind the desk and sat down. He indicated to Severus and Harry to take the seats in front of him. Only Harry obliged him, of course; Severus choosing to stand behind and slightly to the side of Harry, hands tightly folded across his chest.

He would have liked to offer them some lemon drops but on second thoughts decided to just come straight to the point. Locking eyes with Harry, he could see that he was controlling himself with great restraint.

Bracing himself for what he had to do, Albus stated calmly, "Harry, my boy; I have gained some highly disturbing news regarding Lucius and his plans for you. I will not bore you with the details, but suffice to say that the circumstances are dire. A wrong move on our part at this time would lead to your downfall and with it, our hopes of defeating Voldemort once and for all."

"I understand that headmaster, but what are you suggesting that we do?" Harry asked exasperatedly, irritated with Malfoy Sr. for complicating his life yet again.

"There is a way, but it will involve great sacrifice on your part. In return, I guarantee that you will be outside the sphere of influence of such corrupt people like the Malfoys and others at the Ministry and outside it." Albus stated with conviction.

"Let's hear it, then." Harry urged and settled back into his chair to hear what the headmaster had to say this time.

"We know for sure that Lucius plans to use an archaic bond to gain full access to you and your inheritance, by gaining guardianship under the old laws, thus pushing your majority to 21 before you are legally able to contest anything, even the guardianship itself."

He could see that Harry was horrified at that scenario coming to pass, but he quickly disabused him of that notion.

"There is no way that we would allow that to come to pass." Albus stressed that point before continuing.

"However, the only other alternative that we have left that can in any way be capable of contesting that particular bond is the much older guardianship-marriage bond."

Staring down at Harry pensively, Severus could see that this information was hardly welcome at this stage, if his tense shoulders and clenched hands were any indication; not to mention the barely simmering magic beneath the surface.

He tuned in just in time to hear Albus finish informing Harry about the bond and all that it entailed, before he dropped the bombshell about his chosen guardian/mate.

It seemed that he was being thrown straight from the frying pan and into the fire as Albus laid the facts down quite bluntly and informed him that Severus would be said guardian-mate.

"There is only one person that I would consider for this bond, one who is fully capable of protecting both you and himself from unwanted harm; and that man is Severus Snape." Albus said seriously, his face for once looking his age.

He was rewarded for his lack of tact and understanding with a disbelieving snort and an angry scowl.

"You honestly expect me to believe this nonsense?" Harry gaped in disbelief, snapping his gaze from one to the other, expecting it all to be one big joke.

Sadly for him, this was just the beginning, Severus thought to himself with the slightest amount of pity; which vanished when he remembered his own sorry predicament.

"This is not a laughing matter, Harry."

"Who's laughing? Certainly not me!" Harry exclaimed loudly, unsure whether to take them seriously.

"Severus is capable of fending them off and protecting you at the same time. Do not forget that he has ample experience dealing with dark wizards." Albus tried to reason with Harry, trying to get him to see the bright side of things.

"Have you forgotten that he is a Death eater?" Harry asked, infuriated that they were treating him like a small child; incapable of deciding things for himself.

"What is to stop him from handing me over to the dark lord himself to gain favor?"

He asked with a dark look directed at Severus.

"I have not forgotten anything, child." Albus chided him for his unfounded comments.

Before Albus could continue further he was interrupted by Severus; who had reached the end of his patience,

"If you had any knowledge of the magic and intent behind such bonds, it would be clear to you that the guardian is incapable of bringing willful harm to his ward." Severus snapped at Harry.

Seeing that he was once more going to spout off something undoubtedly stupid, he added in an irritated tone.

"I would be bound by that same magic to ensure your protection and survival. Any harm that is done by my direct actions or my inaction, will get reflected onto me two fold."

"That is not to say that one cannot get around certain bonds." Severus added silkily in a dark voice, which sent shivers down Harry's back. An undertone to his words that put Harry on edge.

"The bond that we will be entering into is very strict, it does not allow for any deviation, either on my part or yours." Severus informed Potter smoothly; whom he could see still had trouble processing all that had been said.

"Unfortunately for you, Lucius plans to use a bond which has already been corrupted."

"A bond which has too many loopholes with regards to the ward in question can be easily circumvented; you just need to know what has to be done." Severus added in a snide tone, his dark eyes narrowed and fixed on Harry.

Seeing that an argument was about to start between the two, the headmaster intervened.

Albus decided to change tactics and instead enquired, "Tell me Harry, do you think your family would last long against adult dark wizards, even if they were somehow able to resist signing those papers which would relinquish their guardianship of you?"

Harry was forced to admit, even if it was within the confines of his own mind; that the Dursleys would probably not even think twice about signing the papers.

After all, they would hardly need convincing for doing something that they'd been unable to do for the past 15 years, he thought darkly.

"No, they wouldn't last long sir, if at all." Is what he said instead, although he mumbled the last part, hinting at an unknown history there.

Severus for his part was fast loosing patience and decided to bring things to a quick end.

"Mr. Potter, if you value your life, you will listen to what the headmaster says and you will stop with the disrespect right now." Severus whispered in Potter's ears, hands clamped tightly onto his thin shoulders, restraining him from movement.

Harry's immediate reaction was to try to fight his hold and he cried out, "Let go of me!"

"Not until you give me an answer. We do this the easy way or we do it the hard way. Take your pick." Severus ordered, eyes trained on Albus intently, warning him not to interfere. If there was any chance of the bond working between them, then Severus needed to establish his control over the boy or this would all be worthless.

If he did not acknowledge Severus as his authority figure now, the bond would never settle, despite their wishes to the contrary.

At a discrete nod from Albus, Severus was assured that there would be no interference from him, regardless of what he would have to do to get Potter to submit to his authority.

"No! I don't care what you have to say but this is bond is not going to happen!"

"And get your grubby hands off of me!" Harry screamed in rage, the blood boiling in his veins at the mere thought of what they were asking of him; no, not asking him, telling him to do.

He didn't know where this anger was coming from but he was powerless to stop the rage that was coursing through him. His magic was slipping out, causing the scattered items on the table to shake imperceptibly, being nearest to him.

Quick as a fiddle, Severus's hands let go of his shoulders and one caught hold of his left ear, twisting it harshly and pulling on it, forcing Harry to stand if he didn't want his ear pulled out.

"Ouch! Ow, ow! Owww!"

"Stop it, what are you trying to do? Oww!"

"Let go! Ow!"

Every word out of his mouth that was not an apology, Severus kept his iron grip on his ear, twisting it now and again, as if reprimanding an unruly child.

"Alright! Alright! Ow! I'm sorry!"

"Happy now?" Harry asked disrespectfully, rewarded with another harsh twist.

"I want no more cheek from you Mr. Potter. Have you learnt your lesson yet or do you want me to explain some more." Severus asked warningly, his tone smooth as silk, belying his displeasure.

"Ow! Ok! I apologize, headmaster. I will try to keep a cool head, sir."

"I'm sorry for my loss of control." He added quickly at a warning twist of Snape's bony fingers.

Seeing that Snape had yet to let go of his now very tender and red ear, he tried to awkwardly move around to face him, only to be met with a dark scowl.

He didn't know why he felt the need to apologize to the greasy bastard, but nevertheless he did.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape. I will try to be more respectful in future." He added in a small voice, unsure whether his apology would be accepted.

Severus let go of his ear suddenly and said smoothly, "Apology accepted." As if he had not spent the last few minutes berating Harry for his bad manners.

Harry rubbed his tender ear, trying to ease the pain, when he was guided back to his chair and at a slight push from Snape sat down again. This time however, he looked back and met his professors dark eyes, unreadable as ever, before he turned back to face the headmaster, unsure whether he'd found what he was searching for.

In the interests of moving things along, Severus summarized the bond for Harry.

"The bond is a guardianship- marriage bond. As you are still a student here, till the time of your graduation, I will be your legal and magical guardian. You will spend the summer with me and return with me to the school at the end of our summer vacation. During the school year, I will fulfill my role as teacher and guardian and take an active part in your school life, keeping things in order." He stated in his customary deep, rich voice.

Seeing that he'd caught Harry's attention, he continued on with the next part.

"After you graduate, we will be officially bonded as a married couple after which the bond will recognize the change from guardian to spouse when the marriage is consummated."

"Consummated?" Harry squeaked out.

"Yes, Potter. I believe even you know what consummation means or if that's too difficult for your brain to understand, we have to have sex." Severus replied snidely.

"Or is it that you need 'the bird and the bees' talk?" Severus asked with a smirk.

"No! I do not need _'the talk' _from you." He muttered, embarrassed by what they were discussing

"I know enough." He mumbled, eyes downcast, his face flushing a bright red.

"Well then, since we have that out of the way, what are your thoughts Harry?" Albus asked breaking the awkward silence that stretched between them.

"Is there anything else about the bond that I must know?" Harry asked in a quiet voice, pretty much resigned in his mind as to what was going to be his decision.

"The bond is permanent and infidelity is not allowed." Severus stated, wanting Potter to know what he was getting into before he made his decision.

At the same time, he knew certain things were better left unsaid till they had a better relationship holding them together.

There would be time enough later to explain the other restrictions of the bond.

"Alright; I accept this bond and Professor Snape." Harry answered with a serious look on his face.

"When are we supposed to perform the bond?" He asked quizzically, looking between the two.

Severus was pleasantly surprised when the boy did not put up a fuss again. He'd been expecting another outburst but Potter seemed calm enough, his magic also having settled considerably since the start of their conversation.

He looked to Albus for guidance as even he was not too sure about how to proceed from here.

Severus was saved from having to answer when Albus replied with a pleased smile,

"Preferably at dawn tomorrow, before you all leave for the summer. Dawn is the best time for entering bonds. It is after all akin to a new beginning in life." Albus stated happily; glad to see that both his boys would have a chance at happiness, even though it did not seem like it now.

"Severus and Harry; both of you will spend the night in my quarters. I have ample room for two guests. This will ensure that we can get things started at the right time and as an added bonus, there will be fewer questions asked if no one catches you trying to sneak out of your dorm so early in the morning." Albus informed them, not brooking any arguments from them.

"I will arrange for the robes that are required for the simple ceremony. Dawn will be at 5 a.m. tomorrow. Make sure that you are awake and showered before then. Wear the robes and meet me here. We will make our way up to the turret and perform the bond with the suns' rays just beginning to shine on us. After that, we will break fast together, before you are allowed to go about the rest of your duties."

"I will then inform the school of the changes before everyone departs from school, giving everyone ample time to come to grips with the new situation."

With that said; Albus rose from behind the desk and motioned for the two of them to follow him. He took them to a tapestry covered wall. On parting it, they were met with the site of an intricate phoenix knocker with the sharp beak open. Albus placed his hand in it and held the tip of his index finger at the tip of its beak. Quick as lightning, the beak pierced the skin and sampled the blood, the wards recognizing Albus immediately. Motioning the other two to do the same, Albus waved his wand in a complex pattern adding them to the wards, allowing them to pass into his rooms.

The phoenix knocker flashed gold, before the outline of a door materialized in the wall and solidified. There was a small bronze handle, which Albus grasped immediately and pushed the door open, entering it silently.

Severus and Harry followed suit, the door sliding shut with a soft click, the presence of a door masked once again.

Albus' rooms were quite spacious. There was a sitting room, a small kitchen, a large bedroom and a smaller guest room for the occasional family member that came to visit him. There was even a personal library, although quite small.

Albus was giving them the tour, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the place before settling in.

A glance at the library had Severus literally salivating; the mere thought that he was the first one with access to Dumbledore's private collection of books enough to make him feel giddy.

Albus shared a fond, knowing look with Harry before he said, "You are most welcome to go through the library if you would like to do some light reading before retiring for the night."

Severus refrained from expressing his glee, although he realized that he was not quite successful if the amused faces of his companions were any indication.

With only a slight upturn of his lips to indicate his pleasure, Severus inclined his head and replied, "That is most generous of you, Albus. Thank you."

"Call Tipsy if you require anything, be it food or any other necessities."

"The guest rooms are through there; just follow the passage and you will see two doors at the end, both are for guests. They're a bit unused but still in livable conditions." He pointed it out to them.

"I will see you both bright and early, tomorrow morning. The robes will be in your rooms. Shower and dress yourselves in the garments provided before meeting me in the sitting room."

"Remember, you are not to break your fast until the bond is completed." Albus reminded them with a look, warning them not to forget it.

"Good night then, my boys. Get a good night's rest. We have much to do tomorrow."

And so saying, Albus left to floo call one of his close associates who owed him a few favors to arrange for the robes. Ceremonial robes were not everybody's cup of tea and they were generally quite difficult to find on short notice.

* * *

Morning came too soon for the occupants in the headmaster's quarters.

Harry had experienced an uneasy sleep. Although the room were well furnished and the bed quite comfortable, it was the thought of what was to come ahead that had given Harry the restlessness that was the cause for his lack of sleep.

He'd been awake for the past half hour, waiting for it to be a decent time so that he could shower and be ready before the break of dawn. He wasn't really sure how to feel about all this. He'd never really thought what he would do after his schooling; have girlfriends, party, become an auror; so many things really; but never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that he wouldn't even have the opportunity to choose what he wanted.

This bond was forcing him onto a path from which there was no turning back, no matter what the cost, he thought; not without a little resentment.

Only in the dark of the night, alone in his room with only his thoughts for company had the full ramifications of entering into such a bond had made itself known to him. And frankly, it scared the shit out of him. He didn't really know how his life was going to go on from here, but for sure as hell it was not going to be an easy ride, he thought with a grim sense of certainty.

Deciding he'd procrastinated long enough; Harry got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. A flash of something shiny caught his eye and he headed towards the ottoman instead.

True to the headmaster's word, a brand new set of robes was gracing the ottoman at the foot of the bed.

Fingering the robe, he was pleasantly surprised to feel the soft, velvety texture of the cloth.

The robe was a steel gray in color with intricate runes embroidered in black thread, undoubtedly magical in origin.

It was sleeveless, with embroidery running around the stiff Chinese collar. The robe split down the centre at the front, the embroidery running all the way to the ends of the robes. There were slits down the sides, allowing for free movement.

On further inspection, he found an inner robe, made in a soft white fabric, perfectly offsetting the dark grey outer robe. This had long sleeves, ending in a point at his wrist, again allowing for unfettered movement in the robe.

Setting it down again, taking care not to crease it, Harry made his way to the bathroom, now having considerably less time in which to get ready.

* * *

Severus himself was in much the same state. Only, he knew exactly what he was getting into. It was not something he chose to dwell on too much. He had adapted to worse situations in his role as spy. At least in this situation, they had a whole year to get used to each other; before they would be forced to consummate their marriage bond.

He'd showered and dressed and was resplendent in the severe robes, the style flattering his lean figure. He'd washed his hair and it was now quite silky and soft, a far cry from his normal lank hair, greasy due to the fumes from the potions.

At a knock on his door, Severus whirled around and stalked to the door; he opened it just in time to prevent further knocking to reveal Albus Dumbledore.

Albus was for once dressed in solid colors, his robes a beautiful dark purple, with runes embroidered in silver thread.

"Ah, I see you are ready to go, Severus. I hope you slept well…" Albus asked him with a pleased smile.

"Well enough, under the circumstances." Severus drawled in a quiet tone, his emotions once again masked expertly.

"Let us collect Harry and be on our way, then. Dawn approaches."

* * *

It was a scant ten minutes later that found all three of them making their way up the tower to its small round terrace, boasting a clear view of the Hogwarts grounds.

The terrace itself was quite small but could easily accommodate up to 10 people at a time.

Albus instructed them to stand facing east, allowing the sun's rays to touch them as dawn crept up and the sun rose over the horizon.

He himself stood facing west, with a small crystal orb clasped between his hands.

The orb helped to focus the magical energy.

"Gentlemen, shall we begin?" Albus asked with a searching look directed at them. When he received two nods of acknowledgement; albeit one more slowly than the other, he gave an answering nod before moving forward to clasp their hands.

Holding the orb in his left hand, he used his right to grasp Severus's right hand and placed it on Harry's right hand and directed him to clasp it tightly, this position forcing them to turn slightly towards each other while still facing east.

Albus clasped the orb in both hands once again and closed his eyes, focusing himself before reciting the chant, which would invoke the magic to witness and bless their bond.

He could feel the wind pick up slightly, gently wafting over their skin, bringing the scents of orange blossoms and wild honeysuckle with it. Just one whiff of the delicate fragrances invigorated them, awakening their senses and causing their own magical cores to sing in rapture.

Knowing that the first part had been successful; Albus indicated to their joined hands and motioned them to change pose to reflect the second step. They straightened their hands and placed it flush with the other; each hand now resting lightly against the other in the eternal prayer pose.

As the guardian, it was now Severus's turn to indicate his acknowledgement and acceptance of his duties towards his ward and make his promise to him.

"Harry James Potter, I acknowledge and accept you as my ward, mine to care for, mine to protect and mine to educate to the best of my abilities." His rich voice flowed over Harry like smooth honey, addictive in its sweetness.

"As a guardian, I vow to be your fiercest protector and a hard yet fair task master.

I will provide for all your needs, emotional and physical."

With each succeeding vow, Harry was starting to feel overwhelmed; the combined feel of Severus's magic and his own mingling together causing a head rush.

Severus's magic had managed to encompass him fully, blanketing him in a comfortable feeling, one unlike any he'd experienced so far.

"In return, I expect you to respect me, obey my rules within reason and learn from my teachings and perform to the best of your abilities in every academic stream."

"Do you swear to accept me as your guardian and in time as your husband? To love and to protect; to stay by my side through out all the hardships that we may face?"

"Do you, Harry James Potter, accept me as your guardian and dominant?"

Severus finished quietly and locked dark eyes with Harry, the question hanging in the air, awaiting a response.

Harry shook himself mentally and forced himself to concentrate and fulfill his part of the vow. Taking a deep breath, he began in a quiet voice, the barest hint of a quiver in his voice.

"Severus Salazar Snape, I acknowledge and accept you as my guardian, yours to care for, yours to protect and yours to educate to the best of your abilities."

"I promise to respect you, obey your rules within reason and to learn from you and to excel in my studies to the best of my abilities."

As each question was answered, the magic surrounding them began to coalesce into a visible brightness that cloaked their bodies.

"I swear to accept you as my guardian and protector and in time as my husband. I swear to love and to protect you and stay by your side through any hardships that we may face."

Harry's voice rang with sincerity as he answered the last question.

"I, Harry James Potter, accept you, Severus Salazar Snape as my guardian and dominant."

The magic that had surrounded them pulsed brightly once, accepting their vows.

Just as the sun's rays touched them, the magic pulsed once more before being sucked into their bodies in a flash of golden light, making them feel giddy and light headed all at once.

To seal the ceremony, a chaste kiss was to be shared between the two before they would be free to depart from the bonding site.

Severus, knowing what needed to be done, quickly caught hold of Harry's shoulders and brought him closer, tilting his head back slightly to make up for the height difference and gently placed a kiss on his lips. Not waiting for a response, Severus quickly backed away, turning to Albus; who indicated that the bonding was complete and successful with a pleased nod of his head, his eyes twinkling brightly at the scene he'd witnessed.

Shaking his head slightly, he felt that his head was slowly clearing; the high from the bonding having muddled his brain a little. He had not expected such an intense reaction to the magic that rose during their bonding, he thought with an unhappy frown.

In future, he would have to be very careful if he did not want to make a fool of himself, Severus thought, flustered at what had occurred during the bonding.

"Are we done with the necessities?" Severus asked Albus brusquely, desperately wanting to get away from there as soon as possible.

Albus scrutinized him over the tops of his half moon spectacles before deigning to reply calmly, "Yes…the bond itself is complete. All we have to do now is break fast together before we can be free to continue on with our respective duties."

"Then let's get to it, if that's all there is left to it." Severus urged in an uncharacteristic show of unease, the normally stoic and unflappable man visibly shaken by the experience.

Harry himself was in no better shape and was readily agreeable to Severus' suggestion.

With a quick jerky nod of his head, he reiterated the thought.

"Alright then, seeing as the bond is established; you should have received the blessings of magic in the form of a marking that is symbolic to the two of you." Albus informed them.

"The bond will have registered in the book automatically, saving us the trouble and when Lucius tries to transfer guardianship, it will return as invalid thus foiling his plans nicely."

With a relieved smile and a quiet yet pleased, "Let us return to our quarters, my boys", Albus motioned them to precede him down the tower and back to his chambers to break fast together.

* * *

On arriving at the headmaster's quarters, Severus and Harry were immediately ushered into the sitting room while the headmaster went about requesting the elves to prepare a light breakfast for three.

Severus had settled with a resigned sigh onto the couch with Harry, something that he was loath to do; unfortunately, it was a requisite that the partners share and break fast together and so he really had no other choice.

Albus joined them shortly thereafter, seating himself on a plush armchair opposite the two men; the oval, glass centre table situated in between.

With a quiet pop, Tipsy (Albus' main elf) entered and set the tray containing toast, jam & butter, a variety of cheeses, fresh fruits like peaches & pears, fruit juices and two steaming pots, one of tea and the other of coffee.

With a respectful bow to the occupants, the elf vanished.

Severus quickly picked up the plates and served them both some buttered toast with jam on the side, a slice of cheese and a fresh ripe peach; handing one plate to Harry before taking the other for himself.

Albus helped himself to some of the food and a quick blessing later, they dug into the food.

Everyone was quiet, the only sounds being the sounds of the cutlery hitting the plate and the steady small sounds of people eating their food.

By serving Harry first, Severus was reaffirming that he would take care of and provide for Harry no matter what those needs may be. In turn, Harry's acceptance reaffirmed his own position within the bond.

Albus having witnessed the rite also dug into his own breakfast.

He was startled out of his musings when Severus' harsh reprimand registered in his ears.

"Coffee is not good for you. You will either drink light tea, milk or juice but coffee is strictly off-limits." Severus was quite clear in his views.

Caffeine was quite harmful to those quite young and Potter was not going to fall into the same habit that he had picked up at that age; not if he had anything to say about it, he thought with a determined, implacable look on his face.

"Who made you the boss?" Harry retorted, displeased at being told what to do.

"I like coffee and I want some now, seeing as it's the last day of school and I won't get to have it again for a few months." Harry belligerently replied, intent on drinking coffee.

"Well, seeing as you won't be getting it at all in summer, all the more reason not to flood your body with unnecessary toxins", Severus replied acerbically. He narrowed his eyes at Harry, silently warning him not to push him, lest he be unwilling to deal with the consequences.

For once, Harry seemed to sense his fraying patience and grudgingly backed down with a muttered, "Fine" and settled for pouring some light tea into the cup instead.

Nursing his own cup of coffee, Severus fixed his eyes on Harry and said,

"After breakfast you are free to visit with your friends. Pack your bags and be ready. You will not be boarding the Express but we will be leaving ourselves latest by midday, ideally as early as possible after all the students have departed from the school."

"Inform only your friends about the bond but not the reasons for it", Severus cautioned Harry.

"We do not know for sure if Lucius will follow through with his plans and at this point we cannot afford any more black marks against you. We are in a problematic situation as it is and we _do not_ need to complicate it any further." Severus stressed, a frown marring his angular face.

"Is that clear?" Severus prompted sternly when no reply was coming forth, Harry seemingly absorbed in his meal.

"Crystal" Harry finally mumbled, wanting to get away as fast as possible. He didn't know how his friends were going to take the news, especially without all the reasons behind entering such a bond.

"I can't eat anymore. Can I go see my friends now?" Harry addressed the headmaster, deciding he'd had enough of breakfast (and the company).

"It's 'May I go' and yes you may leave. Severus has already informed you about the day's schedule. You are to defer to Severus in all matters from now on, unless stated otherwise." The headmaster corrected him before excusing him.

"And I don't think I need to stress how important this is. If there is even a hint of wrongdoing on your part, there could be serious problems for us all." The headmaster cautioned Harry, forcing Harry to acknowledge how serious the situation was.

"I understand, Sir; and I'll try my best not to jeopardize it." Harry reassured the headmaster before taking a quick look at Severus. When he found that Snape was looking at him, he quickly took his leave from him and got up from his place on the couch and made his way towards the door leading out.

Just as he reached the door, he heard the headmaster call out, "Oh and the password has been reset to 'ice-mints' if you need to come to me for any reason" and giving an answering reply of "Will do, Sir", Harry opened the door and stepped out, on his way to find his friends before they left for the summer.

* * *

Please read and review! This will be a multi-chapter fic, so comments are always welcome :D


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Except for the main plot, all other plot variations belong to me.

Warnings: This story is slash. Mild language. This story is AU. Everything will be explained at a later date. Please be patient.

A big thanks to all those who have reviewed the story!

Thanks to Azure Delta who beta'd this chapter. You're the best!

* * *

Chapter 2

Harry was standing outside the gates of the castle, watching the students take the carriages to Hogsmeade station. Hermione and Ron were still standing with him, trying to spend a few more minutes with Harry before they would be forced to leave him and get into a carriage, lest they miss the train home.

"It will be alright Harry. We will support you through this; you have our word on that." Hermione reassured him even as she jabbed Ron with an elbow at his lack of an answer.

"Yeah, mate; I can't say that I understand all this but I won't make the same mistakes twice. I may not like it but I won't abandon you because of it. We are in this together, no matter what." Ron stated sincerely, wanting to assure Harry that he wouldn't be a total prat this time around.

"Thanks guys, this means a lot to me." Harry said, quickly hugging both of them before stepping back a bit and pushing them down the steps towards the carriages.

"Better get going guys; you're almost the last ones left. You don't want to miss the train on my account." Harry said with a small smile, before jokingly adding, "That's a sure shot way of getting into trouble when the goal is to try and keep me out of it for as long as possible."

"Harry, write to me when you can or give me a call if you have access to a telephone! I've written down my number in one of your notebook!" Hermione called back, even as she and Ron ran down the castle step and towards the waiting carriages and climbing into them.

As the carriages moved away, Harry saw Hermione poke her head through the window and call out, "Don't forget to study, Harry! It's N.E.W.T.'s year!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at his academic oriented friend and her obsession with studies.

He watched them go until the carriages were just a tiny speck on the long road to Hogsmeade station before turning back to enter the castle, a heavy sigh falling from his lips as he wondered nervously what the rest of the day would bring.

Harry made his way back up the stairs to Gryffindor tower to collect his belongings and get ready to meet Snape. Although now that he thought about it; the Professor hadn't told him where to meet him or at what time. He'd only vaguely hinted at the time of departure.

Nevertheless, he didn't want to start off on the wrong foot by being late and angering Snape. With that thought in mind, Harry trudged up the final stairs leading to the entrance guarded by The Fat Lady's portrait.

On seeing her, he quickly stated the password 'Sweet Relief' before she could start chatting with him. He didn't want to be rude but he didn't want to be stuck there listening to nonsensical prattle either.

"Hmph! Children these days seem to have no manners…" the Fat Lady muttered with an annoyed huff before swinging open for the boy to enter the rooms.

Harry quickly clambered in and made his way through the empty common room, up to the boys' dorm to make a final sweep of his belongings and ensure that he left nothing important behind.

A glance at his watch told him it was just half an hour shy of noon. He was just contemplating going up to the headmaster's office when he was startled by Fawkes' sudden appearance. Fawkes was clutching a note in his talons. Reaching out gently to take it from his talons, Harry was relieved when Fawkes immediately let go of the note and fluttered onto his shoulder to take perch.

The note was brief:

_Shrink your belongings and ensure that your owl is in her cage. Bring all items that you wish to carry to our home with you and meet me in the headmaster's office in ten minutes. _

Fawkes was gently preening his hair and trilling soft notes now and again; the heavy weight of the bird and its gentle notes undoing knots of tension that he hadn't known existed; making him feel calm and relaxed instead of tense and wound up.

With a soft caress on his feathered head; Harry murmured, "Thanks, Fawkes, you're a life saver."

In response, Fawkes nuzzled Harry gently before taking flight and flashing away; leaving Harry to finish up and make his way to the headmaster's office.

* * *

In no time, Harry found himself outside the headmaster's office; having known the password before hand and thus saving the time normally spent reciting the names of various sweets, hoping he would get lucky and gain entrance.

He knocked briskly on the door twice and waited for permission. Opening the door, he was met with the sight of the headmaster sitting at his desk and Snape as usual standing at one corner; facing both the headmaster and the door.

With a crook of his finger, Severus beckoned him to come close. Harry, not really having anything to say, obeyed and made his way next to the professor silently.

"Headmaster, I believe the best course of action is to go on as I normally do at the end of each year, that is to say; I will be taking Potter with me to my cousin's house for a few days' stay before we make our way to Prince Manor for the remainder of the summer." Severus drawled out, before raising an eyebrow and enquiring, "Is that agreeable to you?"

"Hmm…yes, I think that is the wisest course of action that we can take at this point." Albus agreed with Severus, a contemplative look on his face.

"Life ought to continue as normal if we are to maintain the illusion regarding the need for this bond," he stated, deciding to bow to Severus' wishes in this matter.

Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Have you decided how you are to get there yet?" curious to know what plan Severus had devised to get them to Prince Manor without any mishaps.

"If it isn't too inconvenient, I would like to use your private floo with your permission…"Severus first queried, unsure whether he was overstepping any boundaries.

"You are always welcome to use it, as and when you please, my boy. You have no need for my permission," Albus informed him, trying to convey to him what Severus meant to him by actions rather than words.

"That's very kind of you headmaster, but it always pays to be courteous and ask for one's permission rather than take liberties." Severus drawled quietly, sending a meaningful look Harry's way, before pulling himself together once again.

"In any case, the best way to avoid any suspicion is to floo directly to his house and stay there for a few days before heading out to Prince Manor, which will be our Summer Residence from now on," Severus continued without missing a beat, keeping a watch over Harry from the corner of his eye to gauge how he was taking in all the proceedings.

"Harry, would you like to visit your relatives before departing with Severus?" Albus asked, giving Harry a chance to put in his two cents.

"Maybe explain to them what has happened and inform them that you will no longer be residing there?"

"No, not really…" Harry muttered, disliking being put on the spot like this.

"You know that they dislike me and hate anything to do with magic, in general. It won't even matter to them if I don't show up; they'll chalk it up as good riddance and be done with it…" Harry said slowly, reluctant to share the details of his family life with them

"I think, under the circumstances, we should skip meeting his relatives until midway through the summer, when things have had a chance to settle down." Severus interrupted Albus smoothly before he could get started again, wanting to put a stop to this nonsense.

He did not have the patience to deal with all this crap. What he was putting up with already was more than enough, Severus thought disparagingly.

He was finally satisfied when he saw Albus acquiesce to his wishes and give them permission to use the private floo to begin their journey.

"If you both are ready, then let's get this over with, gentlemen." Albus said before getting up and making his way to his quarters, beckoning them quietly to come along behind him.

Severus followed silently behind Harry, keeping an eye on his every move, trying to gauge how he was holding up to his new situation, yet unable to find anything beyond the calm façade that he was showing right then.

With a silent sigh, he decided to let things be as they were for now. He'd analyze the situation again later on.

Severus watched as Albus took them back into his quarters and directed them to the fireplace. He picked up the jar of floo powder after stoking the fire up a little bit; offering it to the two men standing beside him.

"The address is 'Crowley Hill, Scotland', Potter. Don't forget to pronounce it properly or you might get lost on the way. I will go through first and adjust the wards to allow you entrance. Wait one minute before you follow me through the floo," Severus informed Potter of the details and further cautioned him, "And remember to hold your owl close, lest you lose her midway."

With a farewell nod to the silent headmaster standing by, Severus threw the floo powder into the fire and with a quiet yet clear voice stated the address before stepping in and being whisked away to his destination.

The silence that followed the professor's departure was broken when Professor Dumbledore turned and addressed Harry.

"You are free to contact me, Harry. Even if all that you require is a sympathetic ear, a person who knows what the true situation is. Hedwig will know to find me." Professor Dumbledore informed him, patting him on the shoulders, trying to convey with words that he would be there to support Harry through this difficult phase.

"Of course, Professor. I'll remember to send you an owl if ever I feel the need for counsel." Harry replied back, inwardly pleased that he would have someone to turn to; if things with Professor Snape got too rough for him to handle.

With a nod in the direction of the floo, the headmaster motioned Harry to take his leave and join Severus.

"I think that's sufficient time that we've given to Professor Snape. It will be prudent if you were to join him now rather than waiting too long, my boy." Albus advised him.

With an agreeing nod, Harry took a deep breath, as if trying to bolster himself for the summer to come…Picking up a pinch of floo powder, he threw it into the fire before heeding Snape's instructions and stepping into the floo after shouting out the address; eyes tightly clenched shut to try and prevent the nausea that was inevitable after spinning through a bloody fireplace. Who in heaven's name came up with such weird modes of travel? Harry thought in exasperation, as he kept his elbows tucked in and Hedwig clutched close to his chest.

He was so dizzy by the time the correct floo exit appeared that he stumbled ungainly and literally fell out of the fire place, instead of stepping out of it unscathed like he'd originally planned; Hedwig and her cage rocking alarmingly as he almost lost his hold on it.

Well, the best laid plans never did work out for him, Harry thought with a grimace as he reached out to right Hedwig and her cage before trying to push himself up on his knees and get up.

The appearance of a hand in his line of vision momentarily confused him, his eyes flying up to meet his professor's before finally taking the proffered hand, and pulling himself up. The world rocked alarmingly for a moment as he fought to get his bearings straight. Realizing the problem, Severus quickly guided him to a nearby chair and pushed him into it, forcing his head down until it rested between his knees and keeping a restraining hand on him, preventing him from getting up and making matters worse.

Quite a few deep, steady breaths later, Harry quietly murmured, "I'm fine now, Sir…the spinning has stopped."

"If you're sure," Severus drawled, letting go of his head and moving away, giving Harry some space to get up.

Harry tentatively got up, keeping a hand on the arm rest just in case he started to feel dizzy again.

A few minutes later when he was sure that nothing untoward would happen, Severus motioned for Harry to follow him into the house.

Harry quietly picked up Hedwig and her cage, and followed the professor, inwardly wondering what this new house and his new status had in store for him.

* * *

Severus led him down a long hall. He led them through to the main foyer where he turned left and headed down another corridor, this one quite short. He could see curving staircases lead up to the upper levels of the house. As they moved down the corridor, he saw many portraits lining the walls; some looked to be ancestors while others were simply beautiful landscapes. He almost bumped into Snape, not having seen him stop in front of the tall, wooden doors.

Severus turned slightly and noticed the owl cage still in his hands. He was pierced with a searching look from Snape. He could see his eyes narrow in displeasure but his own unsure look seemed to reassure Snape that he hadn't done it to be cheeky. He hadn't known what to do with Hedwig and so had decided to take her along with him rather than to leave her somewhere without Snape's express instructions.

Severus called for one of the house-elves. The elf bowed to him and said,

"Welcome home, Master. Hows may I help you?"

"Gilly, take Master Harry's owl and see to her care. You can show him the way to the owlery once we are done with things here."

"Of course, Master Severus." With another quick bow, the elf turned to Harry and snatched the cage from his hands before he could offer any protest and popped away.

"Sir!"

"Relax, Potter! Gilly takes care of all the owls here. She will keep her fed and watered and will allow her out to fly. You can go see her in the evening," Severus stated impatiently, wanting to get this conversation over and done with.

Pushing open the doors, Severus strode in; leaving a nervous and slightly disgruntled Harry to follow him in.

The room was bright and airy with huge French windows opening out onto a terrace which overlooked the gardens. There was a round dining table situated in the centre, adorned with a vase of fresh white and peach roses. Seated around it were a man and a woman having lunch together. They seemed to be in their mid-thirties from the looks of things.

At the sound of footsteps, the woman turned around and called out, "Come Severus, have lunch with us. I've just asked the house-elves to set a place for you. I thought as much that you'd be dropping by right about now." He heard a tinkling laugh and fondness was evident in the tone and not for the first time he wondered about the kind of people they would be.

It was difficult to comprehend this side of the Potion's master. He would never have believed that Snape could have anybody that would care about him, the prickly bastard that he was.

He saw Severus move forward to embrace her; the woman rising and moving forward to greet him, a very warm and welcoming smile on her face.

The man, her husband from the looks of it, also got up and came around the table to give Severus a hug; clasping him tightly before whispering something softly in his ear.

Harry saw all this from the safe confines of the shadowed area near the door, away from the direct line of sight of the others.

He knew that it couldn't last for long though. Snape would realize that he wasn't in the room and things were bound to get ugly if he didn't make a move to join them. He did not want to anger Snape on his first day as his ward, Harry thought apprehensively, slowly shuffling forward into the room; unease rolling down his spine at the thought of meeting Snape's relatives.

If Snape was any indication, it was a given that his relatives would also hate him just as much. He didn't know if he could bear the thought of one more family hating and despising him for no fault of his own.

He was so desperate to find someone who cared for him unconditionally that it almost sickened him sometimes; to feel so needy despite his brave face; to desire things that he knew he had no hope of attaining in this life time even after the harsh lessons of his childhood. To hope that just once something in his life would go right and bring him a measure of happiness instead of sadness and grief.

Even now, there was a traitorous part of his heart that hoped things would work out for him with Snape. As long as he kept his head down and obeyed Snape without allowing his anger to explode, he had a slim chance of making things work. '_Yeah, fat chance of that happening, Potter', _a voice very much like Malfoy's sneered in his head.

Taking a deep breath to bolster his courage, Harry stepped into the room, everyone stilling when they saw the unexpected addition.

* * *

Severus knew the minute Potter stepped into the room. It seemed as if the very air had stilled. He felt more than saw Sebastian stiffen for a moment before relaxing again, the tenseness as if it had never been. On his other side, he could see that Helen was surprised to see someone quite so young with him.

He was unsurprised to see her quickly regain her composure, quicker than the eye could see and turn slightly towards him to ask about their unexpected guest.

"I see you didn't come alone this time. Do be a dear and introduce us to your guest, Severus." Helen said with a wave of her hand towards their guest, the barest hint of a question visible in her eyes.

Helen was rarely caught by surprise but seeing a young man, one who resembled Harry Potter at that, standing in her dining room, and from the looks of it, a potential guest in her house threw her off balance and she didn't know how to react to this change. Even more, she couldn't figure out how Severus wanted them to receive their new guest.

When Severus did not reply fast enough to her liking, she resorted to light teasing to prevent an awkward silence from descending on them.

"It seems you have finally brought someone home for the first time in what seems to be ages..." Helen continued with a slightly teasing lilt to her voice, deciding on the spur of the moment to keep her reactions genuine rather than masking her true feelings, her eyes busy taking in the newcomer who seemed a bit too young to be a paramour. Given a few more years, he might be just what Severus needed to keep him on his toes. The young man, no; boy looked starved for affection and a friendly face and she was never one to deny anybody some much needed love and attention, especially those whom she knew through the family.

If Severus had brought him here then surely it was for a very good reason, and it would be in their best interests not to alienate the boy on their first meeting.

"Meet Mr. Harry Potter, my new ward." Severus informed her bluntly, his gaze darting to Potter, who seemed to have found some Gryffindor courage after all and made his presence known to them, before moving to gauge Helen's, and more importantly Sebastian's response to the bombshell that he'd dropped.

"Mr. Potter, meet my cousin Sebastian Prince and his wife, Helen Brianna Prince,"

Severus said, watching with keen eyes as Helen stepped away from him and moved towards Potter.

He was amused to see Potter look like a deer caught in headlights when she embraced him in a welcome hug.

"It's good to meet you, Harry. I hope you don't mind me calling you Harry" she asked him, almost as an afterthought as she released him from the impromptu hug.

"We're very informal here and seeing as you are Sev's charge...you're almost family." she said with a slight smile on her face though her eyes had a mischievous twinkle to them as she glanced back at Severus.

Severus for his part just gave her a blank look but his eyes were bright with happiness to those who knew him well; reassuring them that he was happy to be back home with family, even if it was just for a short while.

His attention was drawn back to Harry when he heard him speak.

"Uh, Harry is fine. It's nice to meet you, too Mrs..." Harry trailed off, unsure how to address them.

"Oh, call me Helen dear! Come; greet my husband, Sebastian," she said as she pulled him by the arm and stopped in front of her husband who'd been standing next to Severus, to greet the family's newest addition.

Severus turned slightly to lock eyes with Sebastian, to see how he was taking the news. He seemed to be confused and slightly wary at this new turn of events, though it seemed as if Sebastian would be giving him the benefit of the doubt and would wait for an explanation from Severus at a later date.

"Welcome to our family and to our home, Mr. Potter. I do hope you enjoy your stay with us." Sebastian said as he moved forward to shake hands with Potter.

Thrusting out a hand, Sebastian shook Harry's hand tightly and was pleased to see that Harry didn't back down from it and had a firm grip as well. Giving him an approving nod, Sebastian motioned to the table and invited them both to take a seat.

While Helen guided Harry to the table and ordered a house-elf to place another setting, Sebastian moved back to where Severus was watching things progress quietly and murmured, "I expect a full explanation for this most _unexpected_ turn of events after Harry retires. Don't even think of getting out of it by giving me silly excuses."

Severus heard the warning hidden in the soft spoken statement and avoided meeting the hard look in his cousin's eyes, simply inclining his head in assent before preceding him to join the others at the table.

* * *

Please read and review! I would love to get some feedback!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Except for the main plot, all other plot variations belong to me.

**Warnings:** This story is slash. Mild language. This story is AU. There is a reason for everything. I will explain in more detail as and when the plot requires it. Please be patient.

**A/N :** **Please Read -**This story will have mild to moderate D/S themes. That said, it is not going to be the focus of the story. Another fact that I would like to clarify is that Severus in no way is going to exploit the bond and punish Harry unjustly. He cannot do that due to the bond, but; if Harry does stupid things or willfully disobeys certain rules & regulations meant for the student's safety, then Severus is well within his rights as a guardian to punish him. However, he will not use humiliation, physical beatings, etc as punishment.

There was a slight confusion regarding a particular sentence and what I wanted to convey was a bit different than what the reader thought. So I have reworded key sentences to clarify those doubts. I apologize for my mistake.

**A big thanks to all those who have reviewed the story!**

A big thanks to **Azure Delta** who is now the official **beta** for this story. Many thanks, dear! I couldn't have done it without you!:)

Many thanks to **Jenna McCoy** whose advice was invaluable!

* * *

Chapter 3

An hour later, Severus and Sebastian headed out from the dining room towards the study, while Helen led Harry up the staircase with the intention of showing him his rooms. Getting him settled in would give the men enough privacy to conduct their _chat._

Truth be told, she was quite curious to find out how the famous Harry Potter had ended up as grumpy, taciturn Severus' ward...but she was even more curious to know why _Severus_, who quite loathed Mr. Potter and proclaimed it loudly to anyone who would give him the time of day, had accepted this role as his guardian.

This was not something that one of the old-bloods took lightly. Guardian and Marriage bonds were still considered sacred by those of old-blood. Old-bloods, unlike pure-bloods, could trace their ancestry to the days of Merlin, when magic was still all encompassing and revered. Back in those days, bloodlines were the least of anyone's concern – what truly mattered was how powerful you were. The well-to-do families always looked for spouses who were able to match this power, and integrated them into the family line, be they male or female. That is to say, the spouses took on the name of the old-blood family and not the other way around. Thus they continued their lines, and maintained the flow of magic, while also ensuring that all their progeny were magically powerful.

Unfortunately, the Muggle uprisings in the Founders' era led to the formation of so-called Dark pureblood families and in direct opposition the so-called Light pureblood families who initiated the propaganda for and against blood purity. The Dark pureblood families started intermarrying in the hopes of maintaining their magical and blood purity while the Light purebloods started marrying Muggles with the sole purpose of opposing the Dark families. The Dark families started showing signs of madness, and became more susceptible to magical maladies. They also produced more Squib off-springs but unlike in previous times, they started mistreating such children, thus spiraling further into madness. Magic was sentient, after all, and it never allowed any crime to go unpunished.

The Light purebloods were not left untouched. Marrying Muggles diluted their bloodlines, made them more susceptible to Muggle diseases. They, too, produced Squibs but more often their children were magically weak, barely able to wield the natural magic. This weakness was the reason wands came into existence. And thus began the use of wands to help focus their small store of energy and use their magic properly. With time, the old ways were relegated to simple myths, stories only to be shared at bedtime but with no real purpose. Only the Flamels, the Greengrasses, the Princes, the Potters, and a select few other families were part of the old-bloods. To this day, they were governed by those practices.

As she led Harry down one of the hallways, Helen's thoughts were tumbling rapidly as she tried to make sense of what she knew so far. Even a week ago, when Severus had called them to confirm his arrival, he had said but naught about a guest, and lo and behold, he turned up with a ward, Harry Potter no less, she thought exasperatedly.

Magic was still revered by those of old-blood and they did not enter into such bonds lightly, not if you valued your life, and more importantly, your magic.

She knew Severus was well versed in those things, and he rarely if ever gave in to foolish impulses, but she wasn't quite sure if Harry knew what he'd gotten himself into; or if he even knew how important such bonds were in the wizarding world.

As of now, she wasn't sure what type of bond this was; a simple guardianship bond or one of the more complex older bonds that she'd come across in her job as an Unspeakable.

The deeper the bond, the more complex their situation would be.

Sebastian would fill her in on the details once he'd pried it all out of Severus. He wouldn't hold back if he knew what was good for him, she thought with a fleeting, grim smile. Only then would she decide what this bond meant for them as a family.

Halting in front of door to the Blue Room, she turned slightly, her hand on the door knob, and found Harry to be still a few paces away, admiring the portraits and the décor.

"Come Harry, this is to be your room for the duration of your stay here, and for every visit thereafter."

She entered the room and was quickly followed by Harry. Helen went to the windows and pulled apart the curtains, letting in some much needed afternoon sunshine.

The room immediately looked brighter and she checked it properly, making sure the elves had done a good job.

When she found Harry staring around blankly at the room, she hastened to reassure him that they would take his views into account.

"I hope you like it, dear. If not, we can always transfer you to another room."

"No! No, I quite like it. I just wasn't expecting something so grand," Harry said sheepishly, giving her a small bashful smile.

He met her eyes for a second before he quickly averted them, and mumbled, "It's very beautiful and I'm very pleased with it. I would love to come back to this room if ever we were to visit again"

"Good. That's settled then. This is a walk-in closet for your clothes," she informed him as she opened one of the doors to the left of the four poster bed.

She pointed at the chest at the foot of the bed and said, "That is for your use as well; to store any of your books and sundry possessions. The bathroom is out in the hall, two doors to the right of your room. Make yourself at home, and call Mimsy if you need anything. I'll leave you to rest for a while. Dinner will be served at 7, but you are welcome to come and join us before then. Just ask Mimsy to lead you to us."

She quickly went up to him, and bussed him on the cheek, before stating, "It's good to have a youngster in the house. Please feel free with us, this is your home as well".

With a small, farewell smile, she left him to relax, and closed the door behind her, as she went to join her husband and cousin in the study.

* * *

Sebastian had led Severus to the study. The room was quite spacious. One of the more oft used rooms in his house. Apart from the numerous bookshelves lining the walls, there was a sturdy wooden desk (late 18th century probably), and a cushy armchair; quite well worn through constant use. There was even a couch and a few armchairs surrounding a glass coffee table, meant for more informal research and if one had a lot of company.

He went over to the drinks cabinet and poured a measure of Firewhiskey for the both of them. Handing one to Severus, he knocked his back, knowing he would need another one before the conversation even started.

He put the glass down with a slam before reaching for the bottle once again, and pouring himself some more Firewhiskey.

He knew Severus was observing him, in that unnerving way of his; eyes calm, face set into a stony mask, letting none of his emotions show to the other person.

He made his way over to the couch, knowing Severus would follow. He settled down, half reclining on it, his legs relaxed and stretched out, ankles crossed. He watched as Severus took a seat adjacent to the couch, in one of the armchairs.

As the silence stretched on, Sebastian sat up straight as he finally lost his patience and snapped out snidely,

"Well, are you planning on explaining yourself or do you want a written invitation?"

"Mm…I suppose I must, if I don't want you to bother me about it for the rest of my stay here," Severus drawled out, clearly bent on testing his patience, a smug smirk gracing his face.

"If you're quite finished baiting me," Sebastian ground out with narrowed eyes, irritated that he was always the first one to yield, "I would really like to know what hare-brained ideas were going through your head when you consented to be Harry bloody Potter's guardian!" He was almost screaming towards the end, completely thrown for a loop by Severus' latest escapade, one which could literally cost them their lives.

"What the hell were you thinking? Or were you even thinking at all?" he questioned snidely, unable to believe Severus' audacity. Did he want to get them killed?

"Are you quite finished ranting at me?" Severus asked coolly, still looking at him stonily.

He simply grunted in assent and flopped back on to the couch, taking a sip of his Firewhiskey and simply frowning at Severus.

"Well then, now that we have that tantrum out of the way; let me inform you about the circumstances behind this turn of events." Severus then went on to tell Sebastian about Lucius, his ploy to gain control of Potter under the old laws, the tricky position that Potter had in the coming war and the untenable situation that the headmaster found himself in when confronted with such a ploy.

When Severus finally paused to let it all sink in, Sebastian leaned forward and asked, "Have you really thought this through, Severus? I hope you are not trying to capture the past…I fear that you are opening yourself up to disappointment again."

"No, if there is one thing that I am sure of, it's that the past is where it belongs; squarely in the past," Severus said vehemently.

"Does the boy know that you were in love with his mother?" Sebastian asked bluntly, getting straight to the point.

"I was never in love with Lily," Severus refuted the assumption that there had ever been more than a platonic relation between them, meeting Sebastian's eyes defiantly. At his unblinking stare, Severus reluctantly conceded, "Alright, so I was infatuated with her but look where it got me; nowhere. I'm not confusing Potter with his mother. In any case, she was more compatible with James; I never stood a chance," Severus said quietly, thinking about times past. A quick head shake and Severus seemed to compose himself again.

"Tell me about this bond," Sebastian ordered, glass held loosely between his fingers, his eyes cataloging Severus' every movement.

"Well, the bond is an ancient one. The first year is similar to that of a guardian bond but as the end of the year draws close, it will be difficult for me to maintain my distance as per the specifications of the bond," Severus said slowly, seemingly weighing his words carefully. "After he completes his final year, we get married. The catch is it's not a normal marriage as we know it. The age difference and the need for this particular bond lies in the fact that there will be a slight imbalance of power. I will be the Dominant partner while Potter will assume the Submissive role."

Severus sighed heavily at this, and Sebastian regarded his cousin seriously. A slight frown marring his face, he asked, "Does Potter know what the bond entails, and what is expected of him, once he is married?"

"No, but I have the feeling that he will know soon enough. The bond is stronger than I had expected it to be. Already it urges me to protect what is mine, and soon it will push me to claim him properly," Severus revealed hesitantly, before continuing with an edge to his voice, "So long as he behaves himself and doesn't do anything untoward, I will be able to keep myself in check. But Merlin forbid, he does something stupid or reckless and the bond will force me to take disciplinary action."

Sebastian was unsure what to make of things. There was one question burning at the back of his mind.

"Tell me, truthfully, why you agreed to this bond. If you had declined, Dumbledore would have found someone else to take part in the bond. He is a crafty old man, he knows what he is doing _and_ how to get people to do what he wants," Sebastian said with a small grimace of distaste.

"I admit it; I'm selfish. For once in my life, an opportunity knocked on my door and I readily took advantage of it," Severus said, leaning back casually. "I do not know what attracts me most to him; the fact that his magic is immensely powerful and calls to me, thrums for me, or the fact that I promised his mother that I would look after her only son if something were to happen to her. The thought of being the one who finally stirs and awakens that slumbering magic residing within him makes me excited just thinking about it. And the fact that he will be my submissive only sweetens the deal for me. I look forward to teaching him everything I know. I let what I wanted, slip through my fingers once. I won't make that mistake again. Whether he likes it or not, Potter, no; _Harry_ will be mine."

"And what if the boy rebels? What will you do then?" Sebastian asked curiously, an eyebrow quirked upward.

"I will take him in hand like a true Dominant would. I will show him that we can be good together. I will give him what he wants the most; love, family, and acceptance. The rest only time will tell," Severus said seriously.

"Hm." Sebastian hummed thoughtfully before asking, "And what of the Dark Lord? How are you going to explain yourself to _him_? Let me rephrase that. How are _we_ going to explain ourselves to him?"

"Leave that to me; I will think of something." Severus ordered him, mind already working a mile a minute to come up with a plausible explanation for the need of the guardianship. Both of them were lost in thought.

Breaking the silence that had settled between them, Severus suddenly said, "Remove these memories and store them in a pensieve. That ought to dull the memories enough that your Occlumency will be sufficient to hide their presence. Tell Helen to do the same once we are gone," Severus advised him, before sharing with him his ideas about evading the Dark Lord and his inevitable questions regarding the presence and need for the bond between the two; the goal being to escape with their hides intact.

* * *

Barely ten minutes later, there was a slight creak as the door opened to admit Helen into the room. Severus watched as she came in, closing the door behind her and adding a general privacy ward.

He figured it was to maintain secrecy in the event that Potter came searching for them.

He was taken aback when Helen came straight to the heart of the matter, and asked point-blank, her eyes boring into his and demanding answers, "What have you gotten that boy and yourself into, Severus?"

"I didn't get myself into anything, Helen." Severus said softly, even as he inwardly marveled at the knack Helen had for making him feel as if he was a recalcitrant school boy being caught making mischief.

"Then do tell me, Severus darling, how you came to be that boy's guardian?" She asked sweetly, walking over to take a seat next to Sebastian.

He cleared his throat and said, "You don't know the half of it, Helen. It's a long story."

He then went on to tell her about the details of the bond with Sebastian adding in his two cents worth every now and then.

"Well, that clears things up a bit. I don't need to ask what your intentions are. The fact that you accepted this bond makes it plain enough," Helen said, looking deep in thought for a moment before finally asking the question that lay most heavy on her mind, her eyes looking at him searchingly, "What I want to know is: are you prepared for Harry's reaction when he finds out about this part of the bond?"

"As prepared as I can be seeing that Potter is as unpredictable as a hippogriff," Severus answered her truthfully.

He was caught off guard when she leaned forward and said in a tight voice, "Everything else aside, that boy has suffered a lot. His life seems to be one big, unhappy mess. I hope you will try your best not to add to it."

"I promise you, Helen, I only have the boy's best interests at heart," Severus said, and seeing her expression darken, he quickly added, "_He_ may not see it that way, least of all when he fully understands what the bond entails, but I will make sure that I keep him happy. I will care for him, and treat him as he should be treated considering his age but I will not coddle him. He will have to accept and make his peace with things. What's done is done, and I have no intention of letting that boy mope around, whining about the unfairness of life. The war is closing in on us, and it is up to me to ensure that he is trained well enough to have a fighting chance against the Dark Lord."

Helen seemed to take in everything he had said, and looked to be in deep thought. The quiet was finally broken when she sighed and revealed hesitantly, "Severus, please don't take this the wrong way, but I feel that Harry has had a tough life. Every time I am near him, his feelings simply crash into me, and I get hints of a darker past. I hope you will use this knowledge wisely, and not hurt him anymore than he already has been."

"Have I ever been one to abuse the information that you have given me?" Severus asked instead of giving her a reply, knowing that one could only reassure so much.

Right now, things were too rocky for him to make any assumptions or make false promises based on that, Severus thought to himself with a grimace.

No reply was forthcoming, and for a while, everyone remained lost in their thoughts. An ember crackled in the fire, the loud noise startling all of them.

Helen seemed to make up her mind about something, and locking eyes with Severus she said, "You are staying here for the foreseeable future, the both of you no excuses. I have the feeling that Harry will benefit greatly by being here with us." When she saw Severus start to protest, she held up a hand, effectively silencing him and said, "I'm not finished yet."

He saw Sebastian smirk at him, clearly amused at the way Helen was treating him. A sharp look sent his way by his wife had him wiping off the smug look to avoid her wrath. Of course, this brought a satisfied smirk to his own face which he quickly hid behind his neglected Firewhiskey glass, before Helen could catch him taunting her husband.

At a nod from Severus to continue, she said softly, "My powers are often vague but this time, I'm getting the strong sense that it is wiser and safer for you both to stay here with us. When I'm close to Harry, my powers pick up on his emotions, they almost scream at me to hear his anguish. I do not know what that boy has been through but I assure you I won't let you leave until I have found out everything there is to know about him. From what I gather, it is quite clear that he does not know Occlumency…"

"I tried to teach him but that foolish boy was more interested in running off to get himself killed rather than spend his time wisely, and learn something of import, something that could potentially save his life," Severus cut in snidely, still smarting at the fifth year incident and the boy's insolence as well as blatant disregard for school rules.

"That's no wonder! If this was your attitude, then I shudder to think what you put that boy through," Helen reprimanded him. "Nevermind. _I_ will be teaching him Occlumency this time around and I want no interference from you," she said sternly, very much in protective mother mode, before informing him, "In the meantime, I suggest you retire to your rooms, unpack, and settle in; you're going to be here for the foreseeable future. I've put Harry in the room right across from you."

Severus simply nodded to show that he was listening, deciding to leave the whiskey unfinished.

Sebastian, too, had cooled down considerably and it was evident in the way he relaxed on the couch.

"Come down to dinner once you are rested, and bring Harry with you. That boy needs to gain some weight, how else will he stand up to you if even a strong wind were to blow him over, hmm?" Helen teased Severus, a small smile gracing her face.

"He is strong enough to oppose me, even reed thin as he is. I doubt you need to fatten him up for my sake. The boy gives me enough trouble as is. I do not need you to encourage him further," Severus remarked dryly, an answering smile crossing his face as he continued the light banter with her.

Sebastian simply hummed and said, "I'm quite eager to see that boy butt heads with you. I want to see you lose that cold mask of yours. Yes, I think I shall help that boy rile you up," he finished with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Severus simply took it in stride and remarked dryly, "You do know that the boy will be forced to pay for his rebellion, don't you? As his guardian, I can't let him get away with recklessness and stupidity. Or was that fact too insignificant for your brain to comprehend?"

Sebastian simply laughed and said, "It'll still be worth it to see you lose your cool. Now off you go! Rest, relax, do what you always do in your free time."

Amused, and feeling relieved after their light hearted banter, Severus finally took his leave, and walking out the study, one thought was suddenly at the forefront of his mind, _'Oh, how he would enjoy watching Harry squirm when he got caught making mischief.'_

* * *

_Please review people! Reviews make me happy and that means a faster update. If you like it enough to have it on alert, please do take the time to leave a review! :)_

_Silver_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Except for the main plot, all other plot variations belong to me.

**Warnings:** This story is slash. Mild language. This story is AU. There is a reason for everything. I will explain in more detail as and when the plot requires it. Please be patient.

_**A big thanks to all those who have reviewed :D It really means a lot to me. You can always PM me if you have any questions. I update my profile regularly, with info about any up and coming stories as well as the progress on the ongoing stories. **_

_A big thanks to **Aaliyaana's-Seventh Heaven** who helped me refine this chapter and beta'd it for me. Any mistakes are my own, I have tried my best to correct my mistakes. _

_Chapter 4__  
_

Harry took a few minutes to unpack his school trunk with items he was sure he would need for the next few days. After that, he found himself at loose ends. He wasn't quite sure if he could wander around without permission, and decided not to risk it. This left him with very limited options. He could read a book, take a shower or lie down for a nap. _'I'm too old for naps,' _He thought as he eyed the rather large bed. It looked so inviting however, that he finally gave in and stretched out on it to test its comfort.

He was in heaven the moment his head touched the pillow. It was soft; and the bed was warm, as if a heating charm had been placed on it. Unable to help himself, he gave in to his body's demand for sleep. The bed really was as comfortable as it looked.

He groggily awoke some time later to the sound of sharp knocks on his bedroom door. Scrabbling for his glasses, he called out a hoarse, "Come in!" before finally putting them on, the world coming into sharp focus just as the door opened to reveal Snape standing there; his perpetual scowl fixed on his face.

"Professor," Harry said; slightly alarmed at seeing him in the doorway. "What is it? Did you need anything?"

Snape entered his room and gazed about at his efforts at settling in. Harry grew nervous as the professor's keen eyes seemingly went over every tiny detail of the room. The continued silence was beginning to make him feel uneasy.

A hesitantly voiced, "Professor?" from Harry - who was still recovering from the shock of seeing Snape in his room - startled the man and brought his sharp, glittering eyes back to the boy huddled comfortably under the blankets, his hair in complete disarray from sleep_._

_'Actually it always looks like that,' _Severus thought snidely although all he said was, "It's time for dinner."

"Dinner?" Harry asked, confused.

"You slept the whole afternoon away," Severus informed him. "It is now dinnertime."

"What time is it?" Harry asked, pulling back the covers before sliding his legs out and sitting up on the edge of his bed. Fancy sleeping the day away like that!

Severus simply flicked his wand and cast a tempus. "Seven," He replied mildly. "I suggest you wash up and get dressed. I presume you don't remember where the dining room is located?"

Harry nodded sheepishly, a faint blush working across his face. He was positive that Snape was cursing himself right now. If he hadn't asked, Harry certainly would not have volunteered the information. He was pretty sure that he would get lost without someone to guide him, but hell would freeze over before he willingly asked Snape to help him. He'd simply be providing him with more fodder for taunts later on.

_'Why did I ask?' _Severus wondered in mild annoyance. He inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to keep his snide remarks to himself. "You have 10 minutes. Use them well and be ready by then. I will escort you to the dining room, lest you get lost on your way and get up to mischief on your first day here."

"I don't always try to get into trouble, you know. Most often trouble finds me." Harry mumbled; sulking over the fact that Snape was still hell bent on seeing only what he wanted to see and not the bigger picture.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, I think you'll agree that whether you look for it or not, trouble finds you in the most unexpected of places; isn't that right, Potter." Without waiting for a reply, he swept from the room; smirking over his jibe.

Harry rolled his eyes. Snape was still...Snape. Even if he was being a bit more cordial this time around.

"It was probably a fluke," Harry muttered. "Yeah, that's right, there's no way that Snape could have been teasing me," Harry continued in disbelief, not sure if he should believe in this new Snape. But there was a warm glow in his chest, and he simply didn't know why. '_Surely, I'm not feeling like this because of that conversation with Snape?'_ Harry thought unsurely.

He stood up and stretched with a tired yawn. He was still sleepy despite his long nap. _'Ah well, I'll go right back to bed as soon as dinner is finished.' _He told himself. _'Hope nothing goes terribly wrong... O__h man! With my luck, I've probably just gone and jinxed myself,'_ Harry thought irritably. _  
_  
He gathered a set of new clothes, then made his way to the bathroom for a shower. He didn't want to give Snape any cause to be on his case.

After a quick wash he was dressed and almost ready to go. _'Just need to get the hair right now.'_ He grabbed his comb and attempted to tame his hair into some semblance of order. His efforts were in vain. His naturally unruly locks refused to lay flat. He scowled at his reflection before leaving the bathroom. _'At least my clothes are neat.'_

If Snape proved to be anything like the Dursleys, then he was in for a tough road ahead. He was sure to be picked on for the slightest infractions._ 'Helen probably won't...I like her so far and I feel the most comfortable around her, and isn't that saying something about me.' _

Thinking about the Dursleys only served as a reminder of the unfair turn his life had taken from a young age. '_I'm not sure that it's going to be any better this time around,'_ Harry thought despondently. The Dursleys had been all too keen on keeping him under their thumb, and what better way to do it than to neglect and abuse a boy. He'd been deprived of affection and simple caring till he'd met Mrs. Weasley. The thought was like a bitter pill in his mouth, completely wiping out his good mood from before. He resolved to forget about the Dursleys and decided to look forward to getting to know Helen and Sebastian better._  
_  
He was surprised to see Snape coming out of a room opposite his. _'How interesting...I'm sleeping in the room opposite him.'_ He thought. _'I wonder what other surprises are around the corner...'_

* * *

Severus was in a quandary. Here they were, finally home - seeing as Helen had taken it upon herself to issue the edict that they were to stay put until told otherwise - and he was already starting to regret bringing Harry here. It wasn't that he didn't want Harry to meet his family, it was the fact that here, he was being forced to interact with him more than he would have otherwise preferred. If he'd simply taken him to his own home, he could have left him in a set of rooms and they need never have seen each other until the end of summer.

His house-elf was quite capable of looking after a guest or family member without any say-so from him. But here, the boy was bound to be constantly underfoot; and he'd simply have to put up with it. Helen would have his head if he dared to step a toe out of line with regard to Harry.

Severus was feeling the beginnings of a headache. He cast a tempus and realized that ten minutes were up. Time to get a move on; he glanced in the mirror before leaving the room. He looked just fine as far as he was concerned. He eyed Harry's room door in distaste once in the hallway.

Helen never ceased to amaze him with her shenanigans. Admittedly, he hadn't specified where she should place Potter but he certainly hadn't expected her to put him up in the room directly across from his. Oh well, he'd just have to live with it.

He was about to go and knock on the door when he saw Potter exit from the bathroom, showered and dressed for dinner.

"For once, you seem to be on time, Potter," He remarked caustically.

"Call me Harry." Harry said suddenly, quite determined to ignore Snape's bad mood. He was tired of people calling him by his last name. "Please," he added when Snape gave him an odd look.

Severus nodded grudgingly. He couldn't say no, not when Harry looked at him with those startling green eyes of him. _'Just like Lily...'_ he thought wistfully.

Harry's eyes lit up at Snape's nod. There was a warm feeling blossoming in his chest. The simple change from Potter to Harry meant more to him than he ever thought it would. "Well, the threat of getting lost in this place and missing dinner is enough to make anyone be on time, Professor," Harry replied cheekily.

"Hmm...Well, I'll keep that in mind the next time you dither, Potter. Missing meals is the best deterrent for growing boys; as always, it seems," Severus snarked back mildly, expecting the quip to be taken in the manner in which it was meant, that is to say, as a joke. Unfortunately, he was ill prepared for Potter's, no Harry's reaction. The statement seemed to have struck a chord and the light in his eyes dimmed; the spark from their recent exchange fading. It looked as if Harry had hunched into himself and he was quite upset with the downward turn the conversation had suddenly taken.

He didn't want to leave things unresolved and quickly closed the distance between them and asked, "What did I say that has upset you so, Harry?" When no reply was forthcoming and Harry simply refused to meet his eyes, he grasped his chin and coaxed his head up, leaving Harry no choice but to lock eyes with Severus, unwilling though it may be and growled softly, "I know something has upset you. Will you not tell me what I did wrong? If we cannot be honest with each other now, when the bond is still new, we will never be able to get past this barrier of hate and misunderstanding that lies between us. If we hope to even have the slightest chance to accept and make this bond a success, then we need to start by being honest with each other." When he saw Harry get defensive, he swiftly tried to reassure him, "Yes, you and I have a long and troubled history between us, I don't deny that; but nothing says that we cannot try to get past all that. And I cannot stop myself from making mistakes if I don't even know what I did wrong. This is your first chance, Harry. You can prove to me that you are a mature young man; share with me the reason for your reaction, tell me why you were affected by, what was to me, a very silly thing, said quite plainly in jest."

"I can't tell you..." Harry stated softly, and Severus sighed, disappointed. He released his hold on Harry. However, before he could pull away completely, Harry surprised him by catching hold of his hand and squeezing it tightly. "But I can show you...if you are interested," Harry added meekly.

Severus felt a flash of relief; things could be resolved faster if Harry was willing to work with him on their -as yet- non-existent relationship rather than put up barriers at every turn. Things would definitely be harder if Harry refused to make an effort at maintaining a cordial relationship, and he for one, did not want any more hardships in his life. _'Well, other than the ones already plaguing my life, of course,' _Severus thought snidely.

He decided that it was best to get this matter out of the way and the closest room was his bedroom. He opened the bedroom door and quickly pulled Harry in, who was just now realizing - belatedly, it seems- that they were getting late for dinner and he heard him put up a token protest, "Wait, can't we do this later?" Harry wheedled, "We'll be late for dinner."

"They know me well enough not to wait," Severus replied, all the while guiding Harry to the couch in front of the fireplace. Before Harry could protest some more, he added firmly, "And they know that you are with me, as I expressly came up to get you." His rooms were quite spacious and he was never more glad of it than now, because for one, his bed did not dominate the room. And the last thing he wanted was to spook Harry by seating him on the bed. Taking a seat next to him, he continued bluntly, "This is important, and frankly, I do not trust you to be this willing by the end of dinner. Time always seems to bolster your courage, and I for one do not want this still between us when we go down to dinner. And I doubt you would have an appetite if you kept thinking about what was to come after."

"All right, then. Let's get this over with. You're right. I hardly ever have an appetite when I'm dreading something," Harry agreed softly, a rueful smile on his face at being caught out. _'I guess that's another thing that no one has ever noticed about the boy,' _Severus thought, adding one more to the long list of things that weren't commonly known about the boy.

"Look me in the eyes, and think about the memories that caused you to react that way. And whatever happens, don't break eye contact with me. Try to accept the intrusion and you'll hardly be able to feel it," Severus instructed. Harry nodded agreeably and he simply added, "Show me everything, Harry. I give you my word that I won't use anything that I see in these memories against you; here or anywhere else."

Harry simply said, "I'll try."

"Fair enough," Severus replied before gazing into Harry's eyes and softly incanting, "Legilimens." He was ill prepared for the rush of feelings and memories that bombarded him, each one different in its entirety. Some he could recollect from those failed Occlumency lessons, but there were countless others which seemed to mock him for his assumptions about the boy and his home life. Far from being the pampered prince, the memories showed a young harry running around the house, doing chores, cooking food and being slapped and beaten for the slightest infractions, most often taking the blame for another, shorter, stouter boy who in all likelihood was his cousin, if what he knew about Petunia was right. And worst of all, was the way they withheld food from a small boy; a boy who had no clue as to what he'd done wrong and why he was being treated like an outcast while his own cousin was being spoiled and overfed to the point of obesity.

Each new memory seemed to be more of the same; beatings, severe verbal abuse and general neglect. The boy had never owned clothes before his arrival at Hogwarts and even those were barely passable. What he'd simply dismissed as laziness and a general disregard for personal appearances was actually nothing more than the boy following the edicts that his _loving _family had inculcated in him.

As he examined one memory after another, it was clear to him that the stipend that the family had received for looking after Potter had been grossly misused. It was apparent that they had splurged it for their own silly purchases rather than on the boy for whose care it had been provided; for that matter, was still being provided. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that the Dursleys had been paid a sizeable monthly stipend to cover for the boy's expenses and their righteous self-posturing was making his blood boil; knowing that the boy, Harry had believed everything that they'd spewed. And why not? After all, these were details only a select few members of the Order, those closest to Dumbledore were privy to.

He would certainly have a few _choice_ words to share with the Dursley family when he visited them. And it was a given that they wouldn't like what he had to say one bit, Severus resolved darkly, appalled at the way Petunia, Lily's own sister, had shamelessly exploited her nephew and done a piss-poor job of raising a child.  
Deciding that he'd seen quite enough to convince even a jury that the boy had been subject to severe abuse and neglect, he slowly withdrew from Harry's mind and broke eye contact to stop the spell.

"I think, it's safe to say that I have completely failed you." When he saw Harry try to protest, he brought up a hand, effectively silencing him and continued, "As a professor, even more, as one who has endured abuse himself, I should have spotted the signs; but I let my own prejudices color my opinions about a boy I hardly knew and in so doing, I condemned you to six more years of hardship. You were too young to do anything about your situation but the same does not apply to me. And rightly so, I am an adult wizard; more avenues are open to me than they are to you as is evidenced by the fact that I did manage to improve the intolerable situations of some of my Slytherins, but my biggest mistake was in assuming that abused children rarely end up in other Houses. Slytherin has always been a safe haven for abused children and so I did not see what was in front of my eyes...I have sufficient proof now to believe that what they say about 'assuming' is right; '_Assuming simply makes an ass out of you and me'."_

Harry smothered a snort at that, hardly believing that his stern Professor had said something like that. Even more unbelievable was his statement about being abused himself. Harry, for one, had difficulty picturing the strong and thick-skinned professor as a young child who might have endured similar abuse. But his comment about Slytherin House struck a chord with him and before he could think too much about it, he simply blurted out, "The Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, you know."

* * *

_I believe this is as good a place as any to stop the chapter ;) Please leave reviews. The more reviews I get, the faster I post the next chapter! :D_

_The next chapter will most probably star Lucius Malfoy and what happens when they find Harry isn't where he is supposed to be. Ideas and suggestions of what you'd like to see are welcome. I only have a few ideas so far and a broad outline; nothing is set yet, so you might even be able to convince me to use some of your ideas. So keep them coming..._

_Updates will be a bit slow as I will be a bit busy in the coming month, but I will definitely try and get out shorter chapters._

_Till next time,_

_Silver ^_^_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Except for the main plot, all other plot variations belong to me.

_**A big thanks to all those who have reviewed ch 4 :D - Sylars' wife, Nightshade's sydneylover150, yngoldfogee, Taragh McCarthy, Azure Delta, Arithmancy Master, He's the love of my life, MrsSnape2u, sesssesssama, Badbonita, Darkest Angel13, Feli, Rori Potter, EchoesofMemory, Blueskyecloud9, Janealpha, cara-tanaka. **_

_This chapter is unbeta'd, so please excuse any mistakes. If they are really bad, please bring them to my attention and I will correct it as soon as I can. Also, it's quite short...Anyways, enjoy it! _

Chapter 5

Well, Severus had certainly not expected that revelation. '_Did I hear that right? Or are my ears playing tricks on me?_' Severus thought, eyes narrowed in disbelief; looking at Harry as if he were a rare potion's ingredient that he'd just discovered.

His unwavering stare had not lost its charm as he could see Harry fidget nervously under that unreadable gaze. "What? Quit staring at me like that…" Harry mumbled, quite clearly admonishing himself for having let slip something like this to him.

"Did you or did you not just tell me that the Hat wanted you in Slytherin? I hope you have a good explanation ready, for you are certainly not leaving this room till you've satisfied my curiosity." Severus stated, striving for a calm that he did not feel. His mind was running a mile a minute, discarding probable causes for the Hat's apparent change of mind. He had never once heard anything about the Hat having difficulties placing a student and to ultimately sort a student into a House contrary to its first choice? That was beyond his imagination.

Harry seemed to realize that making Severus Snape wait for an explanation after dropping a bombshell like that was not a good idea, not if he valued himself in one piece.

"Well, the Hat said that I would do well in both Slytherin and Gryffindor. It said that I could be great, that in Slytherin lay my road to success; but I'd just met Ron, my first real friend and Draco had insulted him. Draco was sorted into Slytherin the minute that hat touched his head and I knew then that if I wanted to keep my friendship with Ron alive, then I couldn't afford to get sorted anywhere else but into Gryffindor. And so, when the hat said that I could go into either of those houses, I said, 'Not Slytherin' over and over again till it agreed to put me in Gryffindor. And there you have it; if I'd listened to the hat back then, I'd have been a snake and not a lion," Harry finished his explanation in a rush, finally stopping to take a breath.

Severus needed a moment to grasp exactly what Harry had said, the boy being too nervous to tell him in a calm and unhurried manner. "Do you ever regret that decision?" He asked curiously, wanting very much to know if Harry would change his decision given the chance.

"No, not really," Harry replied slowly, deep in thought. Severus kept quiet and didn't interrupt, allowing Harry to get his thoughts in order. "You see, I had the best life in Gryffindor and I wouldn't have my two best friends if I'd been sorted into Slytherin. My home life may have come to your attention sooner but I probably wouldn't have made any friends and in turn my life would have become lonelier. At least, in Gryffindor I had friends. I even found a surrogate family in the Weasleys," he said softly. "I wouldn't trade that for the world," he finished quietly.

"Yes, I can understand that…" Severus said slowly, wondering how to phrase what was on his mind. Looking him in the eye, he asked, "Will you listen to what I have to say and really think about it? I have something in mind but you need to understand and be willing to do what I ask of you for my idea to work. What you just told me, could be a great opportunity for us to save many more people than we could have if you had truly, only been Gryffindor's golden boy. And I do not mean that term derogatively, so please don't get all huffy about it," Severus finished gruffly, mind rapidly trying to come up with the best way to tell Harry without angering him, what he wanted and hoped that the boy would agree to do.

"Spit it out Severus, it isn't like you to hesitate," Harry urged.

"Would you agree to a resort at the start of next term?" He continued before Harry could say anything, "You may not believe me but there are many people in Slytherin who wish they had a choice, but the way things are, they see only one option; join the Dark Lord or die for treason. They will all choose the dark lord if only to spare their families and in some cases because to do otherwise would be to bring down their family's wrath on them. Some, if they are brave, will turn spy the way I did, but I do not want that future for any of my snakes. With you in Slytherin, I will be able to give them options that I simply cannot if you were to remain a lion. They will be able to see you in the common room or in the dorms and be able to approach you, something that I know they would never even dream of doing while you are a Gryffindor."

"But it would also mean that I would have to give up my friends, and try to make new ones in Slytherin. They may not even trust me if I offered a hand in friendship. I don't really think something like this will work at this stage…" Harry offered uncertainly.

"You will not lose your friends, there is no reason you cannot share this with them. They will understand if this is something that you really want to do. The question is, can you bring yourself to do this, knowing that it will not be an easy road? Knowing that it will take time and effort to gain the Slytherins' trust?" Severus finally questioned seriously.

"Can I think about it? I don't know if I can honestly do it…but I want to think it over calmly before I take a decision one way or the other," Harry stated with a determined set to his shoulders.

A simple nod was his only response. He may not like what Harry chose to do in the end but he wouldn't force him to do something that he didn't want…it would have to be of Harry's free will if they wanted to have any kind of success.

He had said all he could at this point. The ball was now in Harry's court. He could wait patiently when the situation demanded it and this time was no exception.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy had never been a very patient man. Oh, he could feign patience with the best of them, but inside, he was always a bundle of eagerness. This time was no exception. He wasn't quite sure why he felt this way about such an onerous task as bringing back Potter to his home. After all, he had never had cause to feel this way before on his previous errands for the Dark Lord. But, quick as water, the thought disappeared before he could try and make sense of that uneasy feeling in the back of his mind; and he was back to contemplating the best way to get Potter home with the least amount of fuss.

A glance at the time with a quick 'tempus' showed that it was late in the evening. The students would have arrived home by now, even Potter. He made his way to the fireplace in his study, and picked up a pinch of floo powder and tossed it on to the flames. A flare of green fire shot up, burning brightly and he stuck his head in and placed a call to the Minister's office.

"Minister, I believe it's time we left to retrieve the boy. Surely he would have reached by now. If we leave now, we'll be able to catch them just as they finish dinner."

"Of course! Of course! You are quite right. I'll open the floo network so that you can step through directly."

Pushing himself off the floor, Lucius picked up a handful of floo powder and threw it onto the flames. The minute they burned green, he stepped in with a calmly called out 'Minister's office' and floo'd into the Minister's private antechamber. Stepping through, he walked out gracefully and made his way to the Minister's side. A quick nod in greeting and he got straight down to business. "I hope you have all the paperwork ready, just in case anybody tries to put up any unwanted objections…I do not want to have any delays once we get there." Lucius stated with a steely gaze locked on to the Minister.

Cornelius simply nodded and replied, "I've even asked for two of my best Aurors to accompany us, just to ensure that Potter brat doesn't try to do anything and get away."

"Excellent. Then, shall we?" Lucius suggested dryly, trying to get things rolling. He followed the Minister out, where they were then joined by the Aurors in question. He was slightly irritated to see Kingsley Shacklebolt amongst them. He was known to be a staunch supporter of Dumbledore but no matter. There was no way anyone could circumvent this particular move of his. He'd made sure of that.

Walking out of the Ministry, they moved to the nearest apparating point, located in the nearby deserted alley. The Minister shared the co-ordinates and with four quiet pops, they disapparated to Privet Drive, home of the Boy-Who-Lived.

* * *

AN: I know this is a short chapter, but I just wanted to get this posted since its been a long time since my last post. Please leave a review to tell me if you liked it as I wasn't totally happy with it. Next up is the confrontation at Privet Drive!

Till next time!

Silver ^_^


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Except for the main plot, all other plot variations belong to me.

**Warnings:** This story is slash and AU. May contain mild to moderate language.

**A/N – Happy New Year everyone!**

_**A big thanks to all those who have reviewed :D It really means a lot to me. I update my profile regularly with info about any up and coming stories as well as the progress on the ongoing stories. And I have no intention of abandoning this story. Updates may be slow but I have every intention of finishing this, so no worries! :)**_

_**A big thanks to all those who have my story on favourite story/alerts! **_

**IMPORTANT A/N** – Both my betas are unavailable due to personal work. So now I need a new, permanent beta reader.

So if anyone here has the time to be a beta reader, I would really appreciate it if you could help me out. Send me a PM or post a response in a review if any one of you is interested in being a beta reader for Tender Ties and we can take it from there and see how it goes! :)

Thanks and enjoy the chapter!

Silver ^_^

* * *

Chapter 6

Four quiet pops sounded in the deserted streets of Privet Drive. Lucius scanned his surroundings and made note of the lights burning in all the houses lining the streets. The street itself was devoid of any sign of life. Just as well he thought; it prevented them from having to do any draining memory charms.

As the Minister was the only one who actually had any authority to hand over the guardianship of the boy to him, Lucius quickly tapped him on the shoulder and indicated that he should lead the way. Inwardly, he sneered at the Minister who had puffed up with pride at being given the lead. At least all the galleons he spent bribing him to turn a blind eye to his more unsavory activities had its perks.

Within seconds, they were standing in front of No.4 Privet Drive. Lucius watched calmly as the Minister knocked on the door, quite looking forward to finally getting the Potter boy under his thumb. He waited with baited breath, hoping that Potter himself would open the door for them. Sadly, his hope was dashed when the door was opened by a whale of a boy.

Surely being this fat was unhealthy even for Muggles, was oddly the totally unrelated thought that went through his head at that time.

He was rudely brought out of his musings when the boy yelled back in to the house that freaks were standing at the door. The gall of that plump, whale of a boy calling _him,_ Lucius Malfoy_,_ a _Freak_.

Before he could take offense, and cut the boy down to size, the Minister blustered and spluttered "Now, look here boy, that is no way to address the Minister of Magic. There will be serious repercussions if you continue to insult us like this. Now be a good boy and invite us in and do fetch your parents as well; this is a matter concerning your cousin, a Mr. Harry Potter", the Minister ordered imperiously.

The young boy simply gave an unconcerned shrug, and muttered "Whatever, come on in then."

The Minister looked at Lucius and simply shrugged, before entering through the now open doorway. Lucius heard the boy lumbering his way up the stairs, yelling for his parents at the top of his voice, his voice carrying into the living room where the entourage was now located, waiting for the family to come down. It looked as if they'd had an early dinner and retired for the night.

Lucius gave a passing thought to the fact that Potter had yet to show his face, despite the huge racket that the boy was creating about _freaks_ having come to the house. But he dismissed it in anticipation of the coming confrontation; no doubt pointless and frustrating for the boy, but definitely the high point of his day; to finally be able to get one over the boy who kept foiling his well thought out plans and got him into trouble _every single time_ was a sweet victory indeed.

Lucius would not soon forget this day. Oh and how right he was. Albeit not for the reasons he thought of right now. He was, after all, in for the surprise of his life, and not of the pleasant kind, at that.

The Minister and the Aurors, in the meantime had been perusing the walls of the living room, which were generously covered in pictures of the family, still pictures at that. Lucius himself, felt strangely unsettled, when his keen eyes observed the absence of a key figure in the photos; that of the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Well, it seems the boy everyone adores, leads a very ordinary life, doesn't it?" The Minister questioned, walking around the room, looking at the worn yet well kept furnishings and the various pictures adorning the walls.

"Yes, it does seem so; it's quite curious though, wouldn't you agree Minister, that there seem to be no pictures of the boy that calls this place Home. Not a single one." Lucius rejoined idly, subtly drawing attention to the unexplainable facets of the boy's hidden life.

"Ah well, what does it matter to us now? The boy won't be staying here long anyways. He'll be with you soon enough," the Minister said gleefully, mind clearly busy plotting how best to use this to his advantage.

Lucius, however, filed it away for future thought; something was not quite right, and he was determined to understand what was niggling at him, and disturbing him so. Shouldn't he be happy about this apparent lack of care and affection? Then why did he get the uneasy feeling that all of this was wrong?

Before he could continue with that line of thought, the family finally put in an appearance. First came the portly middle aged man who was undoubtedly the uncle, followed by a reed thin woman; both dressed in their nightwear. A quickly hidden sneer was his only outward response. He strained his ears to see if he could hear Potter anywhere in the house, perhaps he was in the bathroom.

It seemed the Minister was of the same idea, (loath as he was to admit it, but the man did have his moments of intelligence) for he immediately glanced at Kingsley and said "Go and fetch Mr. Potter. He's the only one missing from this cozy family setting. We are, after all here for him and not his extended family."

With a reserved nod, Kingsley made his way out of the living room and disappeared up the stairs. It would seem this was in no way Kingsley's first visit to this house.

"Now look here freaks, you won't find the boy in our house. The boy didn't show up at the station; didn't even have the common courtesy to _inform_ us that he wouldn't be coming over to the house this summer." The man spit out, clearly irritated at having been disturbed. The woman simply nodded her head and inserted "And good riddance I say. We're glad to be rid of that menace. Wherever he is, he can bloody well stay there! We are not taking him back and that's final!And now it would please me very much, if you _freaks_ got Out Of My House!" Vernon Dursley shouted, face flushed red in anger, having had it up to his neck with freaks barging in at all times in to his house and reminding him that they weren't quite the normal family that they'd like to be.

"Well, no cause to be so rude, you know." The Minister bit out, clearly put out at this blatant disrespect, getting equally red in the face. "We actually came to take the boy away and now you say he isn't even _here_. How convenient for you" he continued with a sneer on his face. Turning to face Lucius Malfoy, he anxiously asked, "Lucius, surely he couldn't have found out about us, could he? Who would tell? And even if he somehow did find out, (which seems highly unlikely), what could he possibly do to get himself out of this mess?"

Just then, Kingsley came back in and whispered something in the Minister's ear. At about the same time, the doorbell rang and everyone turned as one towards the sound.

"You better hope it's not more freaks, else I'm going to call the police. I've had it up to here with you people barging into my house without even a by your leave", Vernon Dursley threatened as he pushed the Minister rudely out of the way and went to see who was at the door, leaving the Minister and his entourage staring after the man, jaws hanging in disbelief at the sheer stupidity of this muggle man who dared to presume that he held any sway over them at all.

"Hmpf! Well," the Minister cleared his throat and began, "let's get on with things, then. Mrs. Dursley, we had come here to pick up Mr. Potter as his guardianship has been transferred to this gentleman here", the Minister said, pointing out Lucius Malfoy to the woman.

"Yes, well, it's high time that you finally got that freak off our hands. But you're too late! He seems to have finally gotten fed up with you lot and ran off by himself. No doubt up to no good even now", the woman, obviously the aunt, sneered at them. Her comment was followed by the distant yell of her husband who seemed to have finally lost it and was shouting at the top of his voice. With tacit agreement all of the wizards moved towards the entrance; Lucius being the closest, was the first one out of the living room and into the hallway only to be struck dumb at the sight that met him.

There in all his colorful glory stood professor Dumbledore the second thorn in his side (well of course, Potter always managed to be number one, who else did you think it was going to be?)

Trying, and failing to calm himself down, he burst out, "You! It's always you! Somehow you manage to spirit that boy away just in the nick of time without anyone being the wiser. Well, not this time Dumbledore. You may have taken Potter away but this time you have no choice but to return him to us. I've done everything above board this time and the law is with me on this one. I dare you to try and get your Golden boy out of the mess he's made this time." Lucius challenged, banging his snake cane down on the floor sharply.

"What the ruddy hell are you people talking about? Who cares where the boy is? As long as he doesn't darken my doorstep again, I don't bloody care! Good riddance to bad rubbish I say!" Potter's uncle shouted, his face flushed red in anger.

Lucius was fast losing patience with Potter's uncle. No wonder the boy was a menace if he'd had to put up with an uncle like him; he himself would have gone crazy long before this and simply crucioed the man. He wanted to get answers now and so help him if he had to shut that man up to get it, he would gladly do everyone a favor and do it. A red beam of light left his half concealed wand and struck the man in the chest leaving him stuck to the wall, yapping away in blessed silence.

Dumbledore gazed reproachfully at him, and simply asked "Now was that really necessary?"

A chorus of "yes!" made it redundant for him to justify his actions.

With only a disappointed shake of his head, Dumbledore pushed his way in and chivied everyone back into the living room. "Come along now, we might as well get comfortable. This is going to take a while and you might want to be seated for the news that I am about to impart to you all. Come along, Minister. No need to dawdle. I'm sure you're equally interested in hearing about what happened to our dear Mr. Potter."

Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore looked at the aunt and said, "Petunia, I'd like you to stay behind, dear, although you might want to send Dudley out to the park or up to his room. Either ways, I only need one of you to be here for this."

"Dudley, you heard the man. Go out to visit with Piers for a while. Come back in an hour," she ordered her son, who seemed only too happy to get away from the house. "What about my husband? What have you done to Vernon?" she asked shrilly.

"Oh, he's just indisposed right now, dear. And I rather thought that you'd be pleased, I'm quite sure you'd prefer that he not remember any of this." Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly voice, looking at her over his half-moon spectacles.

At her grudging nod, Dumbledore perked up, and said "Oh, let's all have some tea, shall we?" Before anybody could even raise an objection, he'd already conjured an elaborate tea set and had started pouring out the tea, gently floating the cups into the hands of the wizards seated around the living room table.

Lucius was smart enough to notice that he was actually being treated to a small glimpse of Dumbledore's magical prowess, as he had yet to even remove his wand, despite the mixed company that he was presently in. Once the pleasantries were dispensed with, to Dumbledore's apparent satisfaction, Lucius jumped right in.

"Quite frankly, there's nothing to talk about, Professor Dumbledore. The Minister has the relevant papers that transfer guardianship of Mr. Potter to me and my family. I petitioned for his guardianship in light of the fact that his unruly and often unbalanced behavior, completely unbefitting the sole heir to the Potter family, has been left unchecked for far too long. It's high time that boy learnt to take his duties and responsibilities to the wizarding world seriously and if the only way he will do that is to force him into compliance, then so be it. He has personally wronged me by questioning my integrity which alone is enough cause for a duel. Since he is still a minor, the Minister offered to allow me to petition for guardianship instead. Knowing that it would not be easy, I asked my lawyers to find me one of the oldest and completely impossible to refute guardianship laws, which they kindly did and the Minister of course, kindly granted his permission for its use. As per the rules of the bonds of guardianship established in the year 1452, this guardianship cannot be refuted. Now what do you have to say to that Dumbledore?" Lucius finished his spiel and waited expectantly, for once secure in the knowledge that nothing could go wrong. He had covered all his bases before actually implementing his plan of action. Now all that remained was getting his hands on that boy.

"Hmm a guardianship bond you say, and one of the oldest ones yet…that is a bit tricky to override", Dumbledore murmured softly, everyone straining their ears to hear his mutterings. A quick breath and with a direct look into his Lucius' eyes, Dumbledore continued, "However, bonds can be very finicky things. You'd do well to remember that nothing is impossible in this magical world that we live in Lucius. Tricky? Most certainly. Illegal? Almost always. But impossible? Quite impossibly, never." Turning to face the Minister, he held out a hand and said, "Cornelius, could you please hand over a copy of the papers to me, just so that I can have a quick glance at them? You do understand that I have to validate these claims before I can hand Harry over to you, seeing as Petunia and I have shared his guardianship over the years…I do believe you'll also need a bonder if you are to go through with this plan of yours. Of course, I'd be more than happy to help, but first I must see the papers for myself" Dumbledore finished softly, gazing at the Minister expectantly, leaving the man no choice but to comply.

Everyone watched with baited breath as Dumbledore hmm'ed and mhmm'ed every few minutes as he perused the documents before at last reaching the end.

Lucius watched calculatingly, trying to decipher Dumbledore's true reactions to the contents of the document, even as he heard Dumbledore sigh in apparent defeat. He saw him return the documents to the Minister, who eagerly snatched it back and said, "Now Dumbledore, we all know that you want to shelter that boy, but this type of slander cannot be allowed to go unchecked. So please, don't create a fuss; I've already approved Lord Malfoy's petition, and so, all that's left for you to do is to bring the boy to us, seeing as he is _missing_ from his own house and then perform the bonding ceremony." The Minister finished, chest puffed out in pride at finally having told Dumbledore what to do for once, rather than the other way around.

"Yes, about that Cornelius, there just seems to be a tiny problem. You see, I've been receiving comments and complaints about young Harry's behavior for quite some time now and I had no idea how to make the boy understand the responsibilities that came with being the heir to the Potter family, a quite well known Light family, if I do say so myself." With a quick shake of his head, he muttered "But, I digress. I was myself understandably worried about the repercussions of his completely unjust accusations against Lord Malfoy, but I had no clue what to do to diffuse the situation that I could see was building up. Although Petunia is Harry's legal guardian, she is only his guardian in the Muggle world. Her permission counts for nothing in the wizarding world. In fact, it is I who hold all the power with regards to young Mr. Potter. Or rather more appropriately, I held the power with regards to Harry", Dumbledore informed them dryly, correcting himself.

Throughout all this, Lucius held himself with a calm that belied his true feelings. Inside, he was seething with unadulterated rage at the way things were slipping out of his grasp yet again. He had a very bad feeling that he would be leaving empty handed tonight. Worse yet, with two Aurors in attendance, he would hardly be able to get away with any funny business. One of them could still have been persuaded to look the other way, but Kingsley was one Auror you did not want to cross.

For now, he would have to content himself with seething internally at Dumbledore. There would be enough time later to indulge in some frustration-relieving activities. Bringing his attention back to the old man, he bit out, "What do you mean, you _held_? Stop dithering, and explain yourself Dumbledore!"

"Suffice to say that Harry Potter has already been taken in hand. By a member of one of the most prestigious, old and noble families, no less. Now Lucius, before you say anything that you might later regret, let me explain." Dumbledore warned, leaving Lucius no choice but to keep his mouth shut and hear what the old coot had to say.

"I knew it was only a matter of time, before public opinion against Harry became too strong for me to contain. I honestly feared something drastic would have to be done to ensure that the people did not turn on Mr. Potter and ostracize him from our society. After all, he did lose almost everything to this war when he ended it for the rest of us. Let's not forget that he is the Boy Who Lived. Just when I feared for the boy and his safety, I received a most unusual request from a long forgotten family, the Princes."

"The Princes! Oh my, no one has seen or heard from them for more than three decades now!" the Minister burst out excitedly. "Do go on, Dumbledore!" He urged him on, bouncing slightly in anticipation of finally hearing something about the well known but rarely seen Prince family.

"Yes, well, the request was more an order than anything else, but at that stage I had no choice but to accept the terms of that request. The Head of the Prince family offered to take in Mr. Potter; provided of course that he, Harry, willingly entered into a bond with a member of the Prince family, to be decided by the Head of the family. Now it so happened, that he was unwilling to take on the huge responsibility of bringing Mr. Potter back on the straight and narrow without reaping equally huge rewards. It was insisted that Harry's guardianship be transferred to a member of the Prince family in accordance with the guardianship cum marriage bond. Quite crafty of him, really, even if I do say so myself."

Everyone gasped at the revelation; even Kingsley who had known that something was definitely amiss hadn't realized that there was something bigger afoot.

Dumbledore looked pained as he admitted morosely, "Yes gentlemen, you are correct in assuming that Mr. Potter has been taken in by the Prince family under the guardianship cum marriage bond. He was privately bonded to one of the members of the Prince family under said bond, and for the duration of his last school year, his guardian will be the sole person who will have full control over his ward's actions and at the end of that period, he, Harry will be married to his guardian in accordance with the rules of the bond. It is also a completely irreversible bond as Magic has already blessed the bond and entwined them. It pains me to admit it, but Mr. Potter will have no further choice in this, his future rests solely with his guardian and future husband; and being a Prince, even if he is just a ward at this stage, I hardly think Harry will be allowed to carry on as he always has…" he trailed off uncertainly, for once looking all of his 150 plus years.

Lucius could not comprehend what had just been said. Never in his wildest dreams had he even thought of this situation that he now found himself in. To have been so close to victory, only to be thwarted by a complete unknown was galling to say the least. And if Dumbledore was to be believed, Potter had just been handed over without even his own say so. And into a bond that had hardly any room for lenience, unless wished for by the guardian, if what little he knew of that particular bond was to be believed. He'd have to do some research, but he was quite certain, that this time, the boy truly was out of their reach. The type of bond that Dumbledore spoke of was one of the rarest yet most effective bonds that still worked exactly as it had been designed. His rapidly tumbling thoughts were interrupted when Dumbledore spoke up again.

"This is by no means what I would have wished for that boy. I went through the rules of the bond and they are indeed very stringent towards the ward. And Harry hardly had any choice in the matter. His own actions sealed his fate. Unfortunately this was one instance, where even I was unable to change anything in his favor", Dumbledore said regretfully before continuing, "And so gentlemen, that is the news that I bring to you today. Although I must say, it was quite the surprise running into all of you here. I simply dropped in to let Petunia know that Harry would no longer be staying with them and that her guardianship was now considered null and void even in the Muggle world. Not to say that it wasn't a pleasure seeing you all here." Dumbledore reassured them quickly, his eyes twinkling with hidden laughter. "It was definitely a plus as far as I am concerned; after all, it did save me the trouble of making a trip to the Ministry just so that I could inform you of these developments. And we all know how tedious these trips to the Ministry can be, don't we Lucius?" Dumbledore asked him point-bank, his blue eyes, all of a sudden, cold and hard, resting squarely on him, silently conveying a message.

"I wouldn't know, Dumbledore, my trips can hardly be considered tedious seeing as I rarely have cause to enter the Ministry these days." Lucius drawled out snidely before demanding abruptly, "Do you have any proof supporting your claims? Surely you don't think us foolish enough to take everything at your say so?" Lucius sneered and continued contemptuously, "I, for one, would definitely like to see the proof that such a bond even exists!"

"Oh there is plenty of proof Lucius", Dumbledore countered almost immediately. "It's all at the Ministry. The bond has been registered there and has the markings of a bond blessed by Magic. The guardian's name is under Fidelius as per the wishes of the Prince family; seeing as we _are_ talking about _Harry Potter_ here. But you are _more_ than welcome to see the registered bond as well as the premise of the bond in to which Harry has entered. That should give you an insight in to the kind of life that he has signed up for. I'm sure you'll be quite happy and satisfied that your besmirched honor will have been restored once you see what the bond entails." Dumbledore stated blandly, his hard gaze never once breaking eye contact with Lucius.

Everyone in the room was quiet as they watched the two powerful wizards face off in a silent conversation that only they seemed to understand. They breathed a collective sigh of relief when whatever was conveyed unspoken between Professor Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy, finally drew to a close.

"Fine, I'll take your word for it, for now; but rest assured that I will definitely go through the Ministry archives to confirm your story", Lucius bit out from between clenched teeth, frustration oozing from his very core. He put the untouched tea cup down, stood up and sedately turned to the Minister, who was still obviously in shock at the news that he had received and said, "Minister, I'll be on my way home now. It's quite late, so I'd prefer to head home and inform my family of the developments, but I would like to access the Archives tomorrow morning; or afternoon at the latest. Do please keep the guards stationed there informed that I will be making a stop there and assure them that I have unrestricted access to the files of Mr. Harry Potter. Good night, Minister; Dumbledore; Aurors; I'll see myself out" Lucius said, nodding his head towards each, before heading out of the house and into the street.

Within seconds, everyone inside heard the telltale pop of apparition, signifying his departure from the neighborhood.

"Well, quite a lot to take in, that." the Minister said half-heartedly, a wobbly smile gracing his face at this abrupt turnaround of things. "I'm sure Mr. Potter is in good hands now. We at the Ministry can hardly keep quiet if he behaves so irrationally…accusing members of the Wizengamot of being active Death Eaters. Preposterous! You understand, don't you, Dumbledore? My reasons for helping Lucius Malfoy gain custody of Potter was all done with the boy's best interests at heart. I could hardly stand idly by and do nothing when the boy was clearly crying out for some sort of attention", Cornelius Fudge said as he looked beseechingly at Professor Dumbledore. When no assurance was forthcoming, he simply changed tactics and blithely forged on. "You have definitely reassured me and the Ministry that Potter will not get away scot free just because of his status as the Boy Who Lived." Cornelius felt secure in the knowledge that come what may, Dumbledore would see reason and side with him in all future endeavors; little did he know about Dumbledore's true feelings, held tightly behind that grandfatherly façade.

With a perfunctory nod, the Minister got up and made his way to the entrance and motioned for the Aurors to leave first. Petunia and Professor Dumbledore followed the Minister out to the door. "Kingsley, if you don't mind, do drop Dumbledore off at Hogwarts. Report to me at the Ministry once you are done. Good bye Professor; Mrs. Dursley. I'm very sorry to have inconvenienced you and your family. I hope we can meet again under less stressful situations", Fudge said as he neared the door.

Petunia, who'd remained silent and pinched-lipped throughout, bit out, "I hope we never meet again Minister, I've had enough to do with your kind, and now that that blasted boy is no longer my ward, it is of no concern to me what you or yours decide to do with him; just as long as you leave me and my family alone! We want nothing to do with you lot, so I'd quite appreciate it if you all left us alone from now on."

"Surely you jest madam! How can you not want anything to do with Harry Potter? He is the Boy Who Lived!" the Minister burst out in disbelief, turning midway to face her.

"I don't care if he is the Boy Who Lived in your world. To me, he will always be a stark reminder of the family that I lost. And I, for one, am glad to be rid of that last link to a world that stole everything from me. He is a part of your world, Minister, and you are welcome to him. At least now, my family and I can lead our lives in peace and I can finally move on."

"Well, I still think you are making a big mistake by cutting off all contact with Mr. Potter, but it is your choice in the end," the Minister replied softly, quite taken aback by Petunia's strong views regarding Harry Potter. Never mind the fact that on most days, he himself woke up cursing the boy's name for every small thing that went wrong in his world. With a final nod to Dumbledore and a discreet look at Mr. Dursley who was still stuck to the wall, face now completely purple in silent rage, Fudge stepped out and walked the few steps required to clear the house wards, before disapparating with a sharp crack, leaving behind a sullen Petunia, a relieved Dumbledore and one confused Auror.

"Petunia, could you give us a bit of privacy, my dear? I'll be in shortly to release your husband. Oh and don't worry, he won't remember a thing of what's been done to him or what was said in his presence. It will be as if this meeting never happened at all," Dumbledore said, not really expecting her to do anything to the contrary.

Petunia was only too glad to go back in to the house and wait for the Professor to come and restore her husband to rights, closing the door partway, leaving the two men out on the doorstep.

"Well! Wouldn't you say that went well, Kingsley?" Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow at Kingsley. "I do believe my acting has improved with age. I doubt even Lucius Malfoy will unravel the tangled web of lies that I've woven this time", he said, nodding sagely at his own statement before continuing, "I think I'll try and start up some acting classes at Hogwarts. Yes, that's exactly what I'll do. It'll give all those hormonal kids a chance to let go and lighten up and it'll even provide the staff with some entertainment!"

Kingsley could only look on in open mouthed astonishment as Dumbledore prattled on about his intentions of introducing an acting class for the new year. The man never failed to amaze him with his quicksilver ways of handling situations; and he quite doubted that Dumbledore would stop doing the unexpected even when he was at the ripe old age of 300.

Loath as he was to interrupt the Professor's ramblings, he needed answers more. "Professor Dumbledore, if you don't mind my asking, what in heaven's name is going on here? What is this about Harry being bonded..." Kingsley trailed off, disquieted by the serious aura that suddenly seemed to surround Dumbledore.

Dumbledore simply continued to gaze at him, his normally twinkling eyes quite subdued and patted him on the shoulder and said "All in due time Kingsley, all in due time. All you need to know is that Harry really has been bonded to someone under the guardianship cum marriage bond. And it _is_ unbreakable."

"And do you have any idea if that person is trust-worthy? Will you really trust that person with Harry's life?" Kingsley asked incredulously before taking a deep breath and calming himself. "I apologize, Professor. That was totally uncalled for. You've always held a bit of a soft spot for Harry Potter and I doubt that you would have allowed this, had there been any other way to thwart these plans of the Ministry."

"No worries, my boy. I wouldn't have expected anything less. The day no one questions my decisions is the day I know that the world has turned upside down. To answer your question, Yes, I would trust that person with my very own life. There isn't a better person who I would even dare to entrust Harry's life with."

"Then that's all I need to know, Sir. You have my word that I will help you in any way I can, Sir."

"Thank you, Kingsley; that means a lot to me. Now best not linger here too long, else the Minister will wonder what you are up to. Off you go. I still have a few things I need to talk to Petunia about, and Mr. Dursley to set free. I'm hoping he's learnt his lesson by now."

"Don't count on it, Professor. That one is stubborn as they come".

* * *

Back at Crowley Hill;

"Severus, I was just wondering what happened to you both. I hope everything is alright?" Helen queried just as Severus and Harry came into view. When she received twin nods, she continued, "Shall I ask the elves to serve dinner now, then?"

"Yes, please. That would be an excellent idea. I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused, but something came up that couldn't be ignored any longer", Severus informed her, a slightly grim countenance reflected in his face. "As it stands, things have been ignored for far too long where they concern Mr. Potter", came Severus' acerbic comment close to her ear as he brushed past her in the direction of the living room.

"I am standing right behind you, you know. Feel free to ignore me, as always", Harry piped up from the steps just behind Severus. "And in case you forgot, I have excellent hearing!" Harry shouted exasperatedly, sending Helen a quick, apologetic smile.

"Yes, well, one can accuse you of many things, but being easy to ignore was never one of them. Ignoring you is an impossibility. You've inadvertently made it your life's mission to annoy me. And you've succeeded beyond belief, might I add", Severus responded calmly to that childish outburst, even as he strode down the hall.

"Will you wait up already! Why the sudden rush?" Harry's voice drifted out to Helen, who was still rooted to her spot. She watched in part astonishment and part amusement at what had transpired in front of her.

Within the span of a few hours, something had changed. She had never seen Severus this relaxed before, and certainly never with anyone who had been - and still was - a student of his.

Shaking her head in bemusement, she followed the fast disappearing pair down the hall and to the living room. When she entered the room, it was to find Severus at his customary place setting; what surprised her was that Harry was sitting next to him rather than opposite him as had been the case during lunch. She clicked her fingers twice and an elf appeared.

"How can I's be of help mistress?"

"Please serve dinner for the four of us Milasa."

"As you wish it, Mistress." A snap of his fingers and the food appeared on the table set for four. Everything had been held under a stasis charm in case of delay. So everything was piping hot the minute it was served to the guests, and there was no need to waste time reheating it.

Taking her seat next to Sebastian, she motioned for them to join hands. They held hands and Helen motioned Harry to remain silent and simply participate. A few minutes later, Harry felt his magic stir in response to the increase in ambient magic and opened his eyes a teeny bit to peek at what the others were doing. When he noticed that Severus was looking his way – an eyebrow raised in silent question – he quickly ducked his head and closed his eyes again. This time he could clearly feel Severus' magic nudge his core and his own magic responded in kind and rose to the surface to twine with his; only a few seconds later he could feel two new additions and realized that they belonged to Helen and Sebastian.

The minute all their magics joined, a soft whoosh was heard in the silent room; and the single, unlit candle that had been at the centre of the table – unnoticed by Harry before – flared to life, burning brightly before settling down to a mellow flame. Helen and Sebastian's magics were the first to retreat but for some reason, his own magic was still twined around Severus' and he looked at his still joined hand and tried to tug it away, only to feel Severus' hand tighten around his in response; warning him to stop tugging. Deciding to let things be, Harry turned to Helen and voiced out loud, "What just happened, Helen?"

"We just joined our magics and gave an offering to the ambient, Earth magic. We do this at night, especially on special occasions, to give thanks for everything that we have received, Harry. It is customary to offer thanks before dinner, although there are other, more potent ways to offer thanks depending on the situation as well. I'm sure if you ask Severus he'd be more than happy to enlighten you", Helen teased mischievously, her eyes crinkling in merriment.

"Don't give the boy any ideas, Helen. He causes enough mischief even without prior knowledge of such magics; we hardly want him to become more unmanageable now do we?" Severus rejoined dryly; finally, almost reluctantly letting go of Harry's hand; their magics now once again separated.

Harry looked at her beseechingly and said, "See what I have to put up with everyday? You'll tell me all about these rituals and customs, won't you, Helen? I never even knew such things existed..." Harry trailed off, his eyes pleading with her to answer his questions.

A tinkling laugh escaped her before she could stop it and she raised an eyebrow at Severus and said meaningfully, "Harry dear, I still think Severus should be the one to explain this to you."

Sebastian, unable to contain his amusement at the situation that Severus now found himself in – at the dinner table, no less –smirked and cleared his throat and then said, "Yes Severus, do tell Harry about the other forms of giving thanks."

By then, Severus' usually pale cheeks were blazing a bright pink and he glared at both, Helen, and Sebastian, in turns. Their impassive stares told him quite clearly to cut his losses and just give in to the inevitable.

Turning to face Harry, he went in for maximum shock value and bluntly replied, "The most potent yet quite common way to give thanks for the magic that we are blessed with – other than at the dinner table – is to do it when a couple or bonded pair is having sex. Does that answer your question, Potter?"

He watched in gratification as Harry's cheeks suddenly blazed with color and a thorough glance revealed that the blush ran all the way down his throat. It made him quite curious to know whether Harry would blush so prettily all over. Of course, it would probably be a long time before he could actually even get Harry to reveal that much of himself, so it was best if he put a stop to such thoughts when he still could. And let's not forget that he was still his ward and student. Harry wouldn't be his spouse for another year, and even then, he wasn't quite sure how long it would take him to convince Harry to accept his role within their relationship.

"Yes, thanks!" Harry squeaked out and then buried his face in his hands and let out a soft moan, "just kill me now..."

Everyone laughed uproariously; even Severus who didn't cut loose too often, laughed out loud at Harry's reaction, his onyx eyes glinting with mirth. Still chuckling, he said, "Well, look at it this way, Harry; at least now you know that there are many ways of doing things, some are just more socially acceptable than others."

"That's all easy for you to say, you're not the one feeling like a complete dunderhead here!"

"How does that make any difference, Potter? You've always been a dunderhead. Don't let the realization get you down _now_, when it hasn't stopped you for the past 16 years", Severus deadpanned.

"Don't be so mean, Severus, I'm sure at his age, you were equally unaware…And you can hardly expect a boy who's been raised away from the magical world to know all that", Helen chided.

"His stay with a Light sided family hasn't helped him any I'd say." Sebastian responded wryly. "But I'm sure Severus would be most happy to bring you up to speed on all such customs, Harry. Wouldn't you agree, Helen?"

"Of course! I think that's the best idea you've come up with in your entire life, Sebastian dear."

"Now who's being mean?" Severus questioned mildly.

"Hmph! You never could stand it when I start picking on Sebastian; even though most times it's quite deserved I'd say."

Harry, feeling sufficiently bolstered that the focus had shifted from him, chanced a glance at everyone around the table and realized that they'd moved on to ribbing each other. Looking at Severus, Harry was amazed at the change that he could see in his professor. It was frankly unexpected, but not unwelcome; never unwelcome. If somebody had told him that the dour potions professor had hidden layers that he didn't share with others, he would have scoffed at them and said that the man was incapable of feeling and expressing emotions like the rest of the world, but one day spent as his ward and his whole world was turned upside down.

When a lull came in their banter, Helen took the opportunity to bring the focus back on Harry and asked, "So Harry, have you settled in alright then?"

Swallowing the bite of roasted veggies that he'd taken, he nodded and replied, "Yes, thanks. I actually slept off for a bit, that's why everything became a bit rushed and we came in a little late." That and the fact that Severus had insisted on talking things through immediately, Harry thought to himself, risking a quick glance at Severus.

"But I doubt that was the real reason for the delay..." Sebastian teased, smirking knowingly at Severus.

Severus simply went on eating, refusing to give in to his cousin's antics. Harry decided to follow Severus' lead and remained silent.

"You don't have to tell us anything Harry. Sebastian is just being his usual, pushy self. He doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut", Helen replied smoothly, leveling a pointed glare at her husband who immediately quailed and mumbled, "Yes dear."

Harry hastily smothered a giggle and quickly turned it into a fake cough. He didn't want to bring their attention back to him. Of course, it was just his luck that Helen decided that moment to turn the tables on him once again. It seemed she was hell bent on keeping their attention focused on him.

"So tell me Harry, all jokes aside, are you really interested in learning about magical customs? And how they differ from even Light customs?" She continued before Harry could answer, simply raising a hand to indicate that she wasn't finished. "It goes without saying that we obviously can't teach you much about Light customs as they are often passed down through the families but we can teach you about Dark customs, things that have been passed down through our family..."

"You'd really do that?" Harry asked skeptically. "Even though you know that I am a Light Wizard?"

"Being a Light Wizard has nothing to do with our current situation Harry. You are a part of this family now, and as such, it is our responsibility to educate you in the ways of the Prince family, which includes customs and traditions", Helen explained.

Harry couldn't believe how quickly Snape's relatives had taken him in to their previously tight knit family, but he wasn't quite ready to believe everything yet. He mulled things over as he reached across to serve himself another roll of bread. Cautiously he voiced out what was troubling him, "What if I said I only want to learn Light customs; those that I would have learnt if I had been raised by my parents?"

"Well, although I will be disappointed that you are not keen on learning our heritage and the customs that have been passed down to us, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we will help you learn whatever you want to learn", Helen replied seriously.

Severus, who had remained silent up till that point, set his knife and fork down and turned to regard Harry. He finally spoke up when Harry started to fidget under his intense stare. "You do realize, that as my ward and future bonded, you are expected to learn and be aware of the traditions of my family; we can give you time to get adjusted to this fact but there will come a time when I will have no choice but to ensure that you learn all that is needed under the terms of our bond", Severus stated, trying to convey the seriousness of their situation and the futility of his decision to try and stay true to his Light roots.

Harry remained silent at that, unable to make up his mind, one way or another.

Just as Severus decided to leave the topic for later discussion, Harry spoke up quietly.

"I want to learn everything that you can teach me Severus. I'm tired of learning only the basics. It's true that had I not become your ward, I would never even have entertained the thought of learning Dark magic and its customs, but I'm going to look on this as a chance to learn more about the magic that I love, and this time without the constraints that label it as Light or Dark. Will you try and teach me Light customs as well? I want to learn everything that I should have learnt as the Potter heir, and now as the Prince ward as well", Harry finished with conviction, an inner resolve shining in his eyes, his magic rising to the surface, reaffirming everything that he was saying.

It was a sight to behold for those seated at the table. Helen and Sebastian were quite surprised to see this side of Harry. Although they had known that he was a powerful young man, it had not been brought home till that point, that Severus – their Severus – was bonded to one of the most powerful wizards the wizarding world was yet to see. It was humbling to see that Harry felt comfortable enough to bring his magic to the fore amongst people who were, till a short while ago, perfect strangers to him.

Sebastian knew then, that the time had come to make their final decisions. In his heart he knew that he would help Harry make his relationship with Severus work. Harry was young and innocent in many ways, and as yet unaware of the true nature of the bond; and Severus was prickly by half, but he had sacrificed a lot. He deserved to be happy; they both deserved to be happy, and he knew that the bond would allow no other relations, for either of them. He would play his part but he would make sure that Harry won the war and had the chance to make a good life for himself with Severus, even if it was the last thing that he did.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Do leave a review and let me know what you think. I love to get feedback as it helps me improve my writing :) Chapter 7 is underway, so hopefully it won't be too long a wait for the next chapter.

Till next time!

Silver ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter and the associated characters. I do not make any profit from these writings. Except for the main plot, all other plot variations belong to me.

**Warnings:** This story is slash and AU. May contain mild to moderate language.

_**A big thanks to all those who have reviewed this story, especially Leeb whose latest review prompted me to get this chapter out today :D **_

_**It really means a lot to me that you all take the time to leave a review. So thanks again!**_

_**A big thanks to all those who have my story on favourite story/alerts! **_

_I would also like to thank **Arithmancy Master** who has agreed to be my beta reader for this story._

_Enjoy the chapter!_

Silver ^_^

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Ch 7

Dinner had been a light hearted affair. Sebastian had suggested that they retire to the Den and relax for a while before heading to bed. It was after all quite early as yet.

Everyone was lounging comfortably on the couches scattered around the room and Harry had to admit one thing- everything in this house was luxurious but it still put out a homely feel. The soft plush carpets, the richly embroidered yet tasteful curtains, the buttery soft upholstery of the couches inviting you to sink into; the list was endless and Harry could go on and on about it. It was certainly a far cry from where he'd grown up, that was for sure. As he gazed about the room, his eyes were first drawn to Helen and the calm aura that she exuded. Just being close to her calmed him. Next he looked at Sebastian who was sprawled across from him, nursing a glass of firewhisky. And finally his eyes landed on Severus, who had taken up the armchair closest to him, similarly nursing a glass of whisky.

Harry suddenly sat up and looked at Severus, biting his lip nervously. Finally, he called out softly, "Severus? Sir?"

"Hmm? What is it Harry?"

"I was just wondering, when do you think Mr. Malfoy will make a move? Do you think he would have gone to the Dursleys or do you think this was all unnecessary paranoia on our part?" Harry asked, flopping back onto the couch.

"Paranoia or not, what's done is done. I hope you are not contemplating ways to try and break this bond", Severus replied sternly, his black eyes fixed unblinkingly on Harry who was now, once again lounging on the couch. "I can tell you now, that this is for life. You are my ward for the duration of this year; make no mistake Harry, at the end of the year after your birthday, you will become my bonded." Severus finished softly, trying to gauge Harry's response.

"I know all that", Harry said exasperatedly. "Aren't I allowed to voice out my doubts? You can't seriously tell me that you would be happy to remain in this bond and get married to a scrawny kid like me, when you could just as easily find someone worthy of your regard and respect?" Harry asked, getting more agitated with each passing second.

When Severus simply gazed at him with that unreadable look of his, Harry couldn't take it anymore and burst out, "Why are you all being so calm about this? How can you all accept me so easily into your family? You guys don't even know me! Especially you and Helen, Sebastian. And you, Professor Snape! You hated me for the past six years and never once looked twice at me, and now suddenly you are Ok with being my guardian and later..." here Harry faltered slightly before clearing his throat and forging ahead, "and later my bonded! Don't you want to know if there is even any truth to this matter?" he questioned loudly, his agitation and irritation clear for all to see.

"Calm down Harry, there is no need to work your-self up like this", Helen tried to soothe Harry's agitation and uncertainty.

"Don't tell me to calm down. I can't calm down; every time I let myself believe that things will be good for me, everything gets screwed up and I'm back where I started, with my so called _relatives_ who don't care a shit about me. And I'm sick of it all." Harry finished heatedly, his hands curled into tight fists and his shoulders tense. I just don't want to let myself believe in anything anymore", he continued softly, pushing his hands through his hair in a nervous gesture. I mean, if Malfoy isn't even going to do anything then maybe there is still time for you to break this bond, Professor...we can't know for sure that there isn't any way to break this bond. It's more likely that nobody has ever tried... " Harry trailed off, looking at the floor. He was unable to meet their eyes, for fear of what he would find there; relief that they would soon be rid of him and the unnecessary danger that he brought to the family or disapproval for his sudden outburst. "And that's another thing. Sometimes it feels right when I call you Severus and sometimes I feel like addressing you as professor... I don't even know what to call you anymore!"

Sebastian and Helen looked at Severus, unsure how to handle the situation. Severus himself was taken aback by Harry's reactions and needed a moment to collect his thoughts. He couldn't believe that Harry considered himself to be such a bad match when it was actually the other way around. Severus would any day be considered the luckier of the two, as he did have a slightly -albeit intentionally created- dubious reputation which was not helped any by the fact that he was a Death Eater as well. After all, no one was aware that he was a spy and not a true Death Eater, so that counted against him as well. But to think that there was still a way out of this bond was ridiculous. It would seem that Harry had selective hearing if he could not remember such seemingly trivial details that the bond they'd entered did not allow infidelity on either of their parts nor did it allow them to retain their guardian bond indefinitely. Breaking the bond wasn't even an option at this stage as magic had already accepted and blessed their bond and the intentions underlying it. Now if only he could get that through Harry's thick skull, they could avoid all these melodramatics.

Severus sighed mentally; the worst jobs were always left to him. He must have seriously pissed off someone up there to be in this position today. He wouldn't be a bit surprised if this was all Lily's doing just to get back at him for his past mistakes; his rocky relationship with Harry notwithstanding. She was surely smirking her ass off at his predicament and to think he had a lifetime of this to look forward to; if he lived to see the end of the war that is, which he had every intention of, mind you. He did not survive this long only to lose in the end; no, he would make sure that he and his family made it out of this war alive and that he and Harry would lead a long life together. Whether they would be happy with each other, only time would tell; but he certainly had no intention of breaking this bond or allowing anything to happen to Harry that would cause the bond to break.

"Harry, we know that you are scared; you are no doubt feeling insecure because you do not know where all this leaves you and we don't blame you. It is understandable; unfortunately, only time will help you decide if all this was worth it." Helen finally spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence that had settled over them.

"This bond is forever, you and Severus are bound by magic to follow through with your intentions. There is no going back for either one of you. Severus will not abuse the power given to him, more importantly, he cannot if he values his magic at all, as magic will punish him as she fits and could even strip him of his powers if he dares to breach the edicts of your contract. You'll simply have to trust the path that has been laid out for you both. Neither of you has a choice in the matter anymore," Sebastian added, offering what little reassurance he could.

"At this point, there really is no way but forward. I am not about to indulge in foolish attempts to thwart a bond that has existed for centuries without a single person succeeding in their endeavours to break said bond. In fact, everything that I have read about it points towards the fact that the more one tries to resist the bond, the more it tightens its boundaries, bringing the people within said bond that much closer together and within a shorter period of time. So unless you wish to ensure that you become my bonded in the next few months rather than after the year as indicated, then by all means go ahead and try your best at breaking this bond. But if, on the other hand, you would prefer to utilize the year's time in getting to know me better as well as learning more about the wizarding world and its traditions without subjecting yourself to everything that the bond would entail once you become my bonded husband, then the sooner you get used to our current status quo the better", Severus finished bluntly. "And as for your concerns as to how you may address me, then you may call me Severus only when we are in private, in closed quarters. For the time being, when others are present even if it is only Helen and Sebastian, you will address me as Sir or Professor. It will be safer for us in the long run; especially as people often have the uncanny habit of dropping in on us at the most inopportune moments and we do not want to give anyone an excuse to look too deeply into our bond; certainly not at this stage", Severus clarified, bracing himself for Harry's response to this imposition.

Harry opened his mouth to retort but stopped at the sudden appearance of a patronus which had jumped in through the window. It headed straight for Severus and spoke, "Lucius has been thwarted. He's gone to the Ministry to verify the claims. He is unaware as yet to the real identity of the Head of the Prince family. I strongly advise you to maintain this anonymity. You never know when it might be useful. On another note, I went through the papers that Lucius brought over and it was as I had feared. We have been fortunate enough to have escaped his clutches this time. Harry, my boy, I hope you're settling in well. I'll try and drop by sometime in the next few days... Try not to trouble Severus too much Harry. Take care, Severus. Oh and I expect Harry to still be in one piece, Severus, when I finally get there." And with that last word the tiger patronus disappeared in a flash, leaving behind a heavy silence as everyone processed the information that had just been related to them.

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Well, I think that is as good a place to stop as any ;) Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Do leave a review and let me know what you think. I love to get feedback as it helps me improve my writing :)

I have just begun chapter 8, so it might be a month or so before I'm able to post the next chapter; but I'll try my best to update as soon as possible.

Till next time!

Silver ^_^


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